Page 65 of Plus-Size Sold Mate
For days after learning about Sera’s pregnancy, I carry it with me like another heartbeat in my chest, feeling how it pulses through everything I do. My inner wolf feels both restless and proud.
A new kind of possession shines through in a way that makes me more aware of everything I do, and of everything concerning my mate.
For her to be pregnant so soon into our bond feels far too significant for me to ignore, like the brightest blessing I could ever be worthy of receiving. Others might call it reckless given how precarious the pack balance has been lately, but I see it as a strength. As us being chosen for this.
And in all honesty, I see it as an opportunity, like a bridge to fill the gap. After the festival, some defend her while some tolerate her, and others still fear what she represents. But with a child, a sign of hope, could help bring everyone together.
The Alpha and Luna bringing a baby into the world is nothing short of a big deal, and this should cement my place in a way no speech or display of dominance ever could. At least, that’s what I tell myself as I call for a pack meeting.
We meet in the boathouse like usual, but tonight, it feels anything but typical with the news existing so brightly in the forefront of my mind. Torches and lanterns light up the space while the moon’s light gleams off the water, sending ripples across the walls and ceiling.
The pack gathers as expected, clustered in places and murmuring together.
Hunter, Zane, and Dominic linger along one side while they observe, looking both curious and alert. Eve and Isaac stay with Sera near the front, and not far, Caleb is here too. He keeps an arm wrapped around Lila while their daughter, Astrid, is held against his hip with ease.
His being here is both encouraging and a little nerve-wracking, since he has been in this position himself, and he knows how it feels to endure the pressure of being an Alpha and changing the pack’s hardwired thoughts on magic. I’m relieved he could make the trip.
Of course, Dad stands toward the back, arms crossed, with a hard expression.
The wedge between us has been even worse lately, and regardless of things escalating with Wraith Peak, he has hardly said a word to me. The shadow of his presence stretches long enough to do all the talking anyway.
When I’m ready, I nod in Sera’s direction, and with a beat of hesitation, she joins my side with quiet composure. Her cheeks are faintly dusted with color, and I can see the tiredness in her eyes despite the way she keeps it to herself.
Lacing my fingers through hers, I keep her close while taking in the gathered crowd, feeling more like a united front now.
We aren’t perfect, but we’re making progress, and this feels like our biggest show of it yet.
“I won’t keep you here long, but we have an announcement everyone should be privy to,” I begin, letting my voice carry. The others quiet down and keep their eyes on me. “The Salt Mother has blessed us and this pack as a whole.” I glance over at Sera, noting how that pride flares in me all over again, and I smile. “Sera is pregnant.”
The words leave me with reverence, and it settles over the pack in a wave.
Some faces light up immediately, like Eve and Isaac, who grin and look beyond happy at the idea of having a niece or nephew to dote on. The guys allow smiles to crack through their tough exteriors, both knowing and quietly congratulating.
Not everyone shares that same reaction. Even if they aren’t loud about it at first, I catch the hesitation and the ripple of tension they can’t quite hide.
“So soon?” someone says, like they don’t mean to let it reach me.
“We are lucky for this blessing, no matter how soon,” Eve says, cutting through the doubt like she’s daring anyone to argue that fact.
“A blessing, or a dark omen?”
That makes my gut curl with something ugly as I slowly direct my attention to the elder who dared to utter those words.
She stands near the edge of the clearing with a hand on her cane. She’s one of the oldest, alongside Jonah, and she’s always been devout and traditional. Any flicker of magic and she’s suspicious of it.
Despite the attention shifting to her, she keeps her chin raised. “To conceive this quickly after magic was used in our territory feels unnatural.”
Rage screams in my ears while I look at her in disbelief, bearing just how deafeningly silent the boathouse becomes. Sera’s grip on my hand tightens, and I focus on not squeezing hers while I hold myself back.
Rather than ducking away from the negativity, she’s bracing herself, like she was expecting exactly this. That realization almost sets me off.
“You think my child is unnatural?” I ask, voice far too calm for the storm brewing inside me.
The elder moves subtly under the weight of my attention, but she doesn’t retreat. “Magic pulls in darkness, regardless of how it is used. We have seen the destruction it causes for ourselves…those wolves came because of her power. And now—”
“Now what?” I snap, catching as several of them flinch. Taking a step forward, dominance rolls off me in aggravated waves, and the boathouse suddenly feels ten times smaller. “Do you think the Salt Mother would curse this pack with my heir?”
The closer wolves avert their gazes, though not everybody relents. More murmurs spread as the uneasiness takes root.
