Page 30 of The Alpha’s Runaway Mate (Evermore Hollow #1)
JESSICA
The pack house smells like home. Roasted meat, garlic, woodsmoke, and Brooke’s famous cinnamon rolls because apparently dinner always needs dessert.
Kids are darting between tables, warriors are laughing too loud, and music hums from an old speaker that’s seen better days.
The moon’s full and bright, silvering everything it touches.
It’s been a few months since Ethan. Since I stopped waking up expecting danger. Since I stopped running. The scars of my past don’t ache anymore, they remind me I survived.
Across the yard, Nolan’s arguing with Kolt about who’s on cleanup duty.
He’s half-smiling, sleeves rolled up, forearms flexing while he points at the mountain of dishes like it personally offended him.
Every time his laugh cuts through the noise, I feel it low in my chest. He catches me staring, of course, and gives me that stupidly smug grin that says yeah, you’re mine and you know it.
I turn away before my heart bursts.
Paige, Brooke, and I are sitting together, plates empty, drinks sweating on the table. Brooke’s got that cat-that-ate-the-canary look. “You look happy,” she says finally, like she’s testing the words.
“I am,” I admit, smiling before I can help it.
Paige leans in, suspicious. “You’re glowing. Spill it. What’s going on with you? There’s something you’re not telling us and we all know it.”
I try to play it cool, but a grin slips out. “Maybe.”
Brooke gasps. “Oh, she’s got secrets.”
Paige narrows her eyes, finger pointing between us. “If you don’t start talking, I’m going to assume Nolan put a ring on it or,”
I glance down and rub my hand over my belly.
Brooke freezes. Paige’s jaw drops. “Oh my god,” Paige squeals so loudly half the pack turns our way. “You’re pregnant?”
I laugh, cheeks burning. “Surprise.”
Brooke slaps a hand over her mouth before she starts screaming, and Paige smacks my arm like I personally betrayed her by not saying anything sooner. “I knew something was up! The way he keeps hovering over you like you might fall off a chair, ”
“Okay, okay,” I say, still laughing. “Yes. We’re having a cub.”
From across the yard, Nolan’s voice cuts through the laughter. “Jessica.”
He’s standing there now, tall and proud and completely giving himself away with that soft, knowing smile. His eyes are locked on me, blue as the damn sky.
He lifts a hand. “Quiet!”
The entire yard stills, even the pups freeze mid-chase.
Nolan’s gaze never leaves mine. “Looks like our pack’s getting a little bigger,” he announces, his voice carrying easy through the night. “Jessica and I are having a cub.”
For half a second, there’s silence. Then the entire yard erupts. Cheers, whistles, howls. Someone pops a bottle of beer like it’s champagne.
Before I can even blink, Xander, Kolt, and Declan are surrounding me, along with Paige, Brooke, and what feels like half the damn pack. It turns into one massive, laughing group hug that nearly knocks me off my feet.
“About damn time,” Xander mutters against my shoulder.
Kolt squeezes me tight. “You realize this kid’s doomed to be the most spoiled cub in history, right?”
Declan just grins. “That’s the Alpha’s kid. Better start building a nursery and a panic room.”
Paige laughs, and when we finally pull apart, I catch something weird in the air.
She’s standing face to face with Xander. Both of them frozen. Staring. Like the whole world just shifted under their feet.
Her breath hitches. His eyes flash gold for just a second.
Oh.
Well, damn.
I bite my lip, trying not to smile too hard as Nolan wraps his arm around me from behind, his hand splaying protectively across my belly. The pack’s still cheering, but all I can feel is the steady thrum of his heartbeat against my back and the warmth that fills the space between us.
The bond hums bright and steady, and for the first time, I realize this, him, the pack, all of it, isn’t just where I ended up. It’s where I belong.
And as Nolan kisses my temple and whispers, “You’ve made me the happiest man alive,” I think, yeah, I kinda like the sound of forever.