Page 40 of The Baby Contract

"Thank you for making this special," I leaned back on the headboard, rubbing my belly. "I'm really happy that we were able to find out together."

Theo spread over the bed, leaning on his elbow. "You don't have to thank me, my love," he smiled. "You never have to thank me for the things I do. You will get them no matter what. That's what a man should do for his mate."

A lamp lit up the room dimly, making Alpha-I mean-Theo's features glow. It had been hard getting used to calling him that. It felt foreign and unpalatable.

But Theo loved it.

In fact, if you had told me when I arrived in Stormblade that I would be calling the Alpha by his first name, I would have laughed and called you a lunatic.

For the first time since Mom and Dad died, I finally felt-

Safe.

Theo lifted my shirt gently, his large fingers caressing my bare belly. "Do you have any ideas for names?"

"Yeah-" A smile crept up on my lips. "I have a few in mind."

I reached into the nightstand, pulling out my journal. One of my only belongings from Eclipse.

Theo's eyes pried over my open journal. "That's a lot of letters, my love," he observed. "You write to your friend quite a lot."

"Didn't your mother tell you not to look at a woman's private journal?" I teased, holding it to my chest.

Theo let out a chuckle. "Excuse me for wanting to know more about my mysterious mate."

I rolled my eyes, turning to the back page. I guess he was right, I did write a lot. But these letters weren't just letters. They served a purpose.

"My best friend and I used to love talking about mates and babies," I recalled. "She loved it a lot, dreaming about her romantic future."

Theo leaned forward on the bed, planting a kiss on my pregnant belly. His wolf let out a small, pleasurable purr. "I like Penelope, Elora, or Raine for a girl."

Theo's wolf purred in approval. "And for a boy?"

"I haven't really thought about that yet." I bit my lip as I looked down at the blank paper. "What do you think?"

"Mmm-"Theo rubbed my belly like he was inspecting it. "Elijah is nice. Or maybe Remy."

I nodded happily. "I'll write those down."

"By the way," I looked down at Theo's hand. "That tattoo looks good on you."

Theo grinned. "You will always be a part of me, Millie," he moved up to kiss my kips gently. "Even if our souls are not bonded yet."

"You and our babies are everything to me." He said between sweet kisses on my lips. "You brought joy back to my life again."

I ran my fingers through Theo's wavy brown hair, making his wolf purr in response. We sat in a comfortable silence for a while, enjoying each other's company.

This was our new normal, our new nights.

Less than a year ago, my nights were filled with terror and fear. I would lie in my bunk, the maid's quarters freezing cold in the winter. Blankets were scarce and only meant for the royals. Not for peasants like the class we belonged to.

Nova and I kept each other warm at night. We couldn't talk for fear of Orion and the others hearing us, and the other maids didn't dare to speak either when only the moonlight shone bright into our bunker.

I felt grateful that I had been given a warm bed and food and was surrounded by love and care here at Stormblade.

It made me feel guilty for leaving Nova and my pack behind to fend for themselves against the wrath of our poor excuse for leaders.

I imagined Nova sleeping in my bunk while I wasn't there. Alone and empty. I'm sure Orion, Grey, and the others beat her for even smelling like me.

That morning, Theo left before sunrise.

These past few days, I had woken up in his comfort and safety, but today, he was nowhere to be found.

"Don't fret, honey," Ingrid sat on the bed. "Alpha is only attending to some of his pack duties. He will be back this afternoon. He wanted me to assure you."

Ingrid's comfort didn't stop the turning pit in my stomach. Theo had left before to take care of things for his pack, but this time just made me feel-

Different.

Even the floor has been unusually quiet over the last few days. Usually, I could hear Kate and Cassian in the kitchen scolding Aspen for something she did or encouraging her in her warrior studies or hear Boris's loud footsteps followed by a dad joke, which then, in turn, Aspen's "shut up, Boris!"

But there was none of that.

When Theo came home that night, I decided to ask him about it. "Hey, Theo?"

"Hey, baby girl." He patted my thigh before grabbing the remote to turn the television down.

His eyes turned in swirls of black. "You are worried about something." He stated, his wolf channeling my emotions.

"Yeah- "I stopped, noticing the newfound tension in his voice. "Are you okay? You've been gone until late these days."

Theo let out a big breath before sweeping me into his powerful embrace. "My stress is rubbing off on you- "he kissed the top of my head. "I'm sorry, mate."

"Is something going on?"

Theo moved his lips nervously, pondering his answer. "No- "he cleared his throat. "Nothing. Just pack duties."

I waited, seeing if Theo was going to expand on his answer, but he didn't. He started scratching my back, which admittedly had me ready to sleep.

"What about Aspen and Boris?" I furrowed my brows. "I haven't heard them all day, and usually, they come to say goodnight. I thought they were just going to the mall and would be back home."

Theo looked at his watch. "You're right-"he frowned. "I'm sure Aspen just convinced Boris to take her somewhere. It is her birthday today."

"Don't worry-"Theo stroked my hair. "Nothing bad will happen. Boris is the best warrior in this pack, after me, of course."

"It's Aspen's birthday?" I turned to the alarm clock on the nightstand. It read twelve thirty-four. "Oh, it is her birthday!"

"Yep." Theo shook his head. "My sister's not a pup anymore."

"Speaking of a quiet suite- "Theo kissed the back of my neck. "I'm dying for your taste, Millie."

I chuckled as Theo trailed his increasingly hot kisses down my neck and along my jawline. "We just had sex this morning. Do you ever get tired?"

"No."

I shook my head at his truthful but blunt response. Theo was quick to lower his head under my nightgown and go to town on his-

Tasting.

The only thing I could think about as I watched this all happen was how Nova would freak out if she knew the Alpha Stormblade was eating me out.

In the morning, like usual, Theo left before I woke up. And the suite was still quiet until-

A familiar scent tickled my nose. It was a combined scent, the one of two bonded wolves.

"Oh my goddess, stop!" Aspen hushed, trying desperately to hold in her giggle. "You are going to wake everyone up!"

A man's growl rumbled in response. "Come on, let's continue this in my room."

The sound of her large oak door opening followed. I bit my lip as I tossed off the blankets, eager to know what was going on.

I know I was being nosey- well, definitely being nosey- but I'm sure that was just the pregnancy hormones. At least, we will go with that.

I looked out into the hallway to find Aspen's door closed and Boris' open. "Mmm-" Aspen moaned. "You feel so good."

"Goddess, I can't believe you are my mate," A dark voice floated out of the room. "I never imagined, after all of these years I've known you, that you were mine all along."

My hands flew to my mouth in shock. Boris?

Aspen's wolf purred in response to his sweet praise. "I know-"she moaned. "I can't believe it either."

The bed started creaking shortly after. "Shhh-"Aspen hushed her mate. "I don't want to wake anyone up."

A soft purr echoed underneath the door. "Goddess, I love fucking you. It's like a dream come true. I can't tell you how long I've admired you."

Holy shit, it was Aspen and Boris.

My jaw practically jumped open at this conclusion. The noises inside of Aspen's room got louder by the second. I took that as my signal to move my frozen feet back inside the bedroom.

"Ouch-"I hissed, my foot hitting the back of the dresser. "Shit."

The bedroom noises stopped after that, with whispers of panic. Aspen's door opened a second later, revealing Aspen, with her hair wild and crazy, covering herself with a white bed sheet.

"Millie?" Aspen whispered worriedly. "I'm so sorry! Did we wake you?"

My face burned in embarrassment. "No, sorry- "I gulped, shaking off the tingling pain. "I-just- "

I touched my forehead. "Woke up with a headache-"I coughed. "And I was going to -" I breathed nervously. "Take a little walk."

Aspen looked up and down the hall. "I can go with you. Just give me a moment to get dressed."

"No!" I jumped, startling Aspen. "No, I mean, that's not necessary. Actually- "I rubbed my bump. "I think I should just sleep it off."

Aspen looked at me worriedly from her doorway. "What a great way to meet the Alpha, " the man sighed heavily from behind the door. "Fucking his daughter."

When he came around the corner, I immediately recognized him.

It was Axel.

The boy from Aspen's training class. The one who came looking for me the day I ran away, and the one I thought about stealing the sword from.

Yikes.

"Oh, Millie- "Axel breathed out in relief. "Hey, hi."

My hand flew to my mouth before I could even comprehend it. "Oh, you are definitely not Boris."

"Boris...?" Aspen gasped, her eyes wide. "Oh my goddess, Millie. Don't be gross!" She pulled the sheet tighter to her chest. "You thought I was having sex with Boris?"

Axel chuckled at his mate. "My warrior training must be paying off if I sound like the Beta in bed."

"Ew!" Aspen covered her ears. "Millie, what made you think that? Did you really think that I would fuck Boris? He's like my brother!"

Axel put his hands on Aspen's shoulders. "It's alright, mate," he soothed with a chuckle. "Let's let Millie get back to bed. And us, we have some business to attend to."

Aspen sighed before placing her hand on his. "Millie, please don't tell Dad about this-"she breathed. "I'll tell him."

"Of course," I waved, going to shut the door. "I'm sorry for the interruption."

"Oh, and- "I smiled brightly. "Happy birthday and congratulations."

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