Page 49 of Bred By the Beast

“I didn’t want to scare you.”

“Well, it did sound scary, but now we have something to help. I have all the directions and list of plants. We can use them fresh or dried, so we can start collecting them tomorrow.”

“Definitely,” he said. “I won’t risk not being able to find them in time.”

He exhaled, feeling such a sense of relief.

“I thought you regretted the pregnancy,” she said.

Wilder shook his head. “I just didn’t want to lose you. I’m excited for the baby. I never thought I’d be a father.”

“You’ll be a great dad.”

Poppy grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer to her. He leaned in, the bond between them strong. They kissed, softly at first, gentle. He loved her. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her.

Her tongue slid across his, the kiss deepening. It had been a while since they’d had sex because he was preoccupied with worry and afraid to hurt her. But if his woman could carry a bear, surly she could handle his cock. Her tits were huge, her curves lush, and the fact he could sense her heat made it a temptation he couldn’t resist.

Chapter Eighteen

It was getting closer, and Poppy knew she had less than a week to gather all of the ingredients she needed. Wilder was starting to panic, and she didn’t want to worry him, so she told a tiny little white lie that wasn’t so bad. He didn’t need to know she was missing one small plant that happened to have had a bad season, which is why she couldn’t find any of it.

Wilder seemed happier. He’d even done the finishing touches on the nursery and rather than ignore her little bump, he’d put a loving hand around her stomach, kissing their child. She loved the attention. Loved that he finally started to show some feeling for their baby.

She also hadn’t told Wilder that Alder hadn’t quite disappeared. Every now and then, kind of like now, when he’d find her in the forest, he would assist her in gathering the herbs and plants she needed.

“Hello, Alder,” she said, sensing him even before she heard a twig snapping.

“It’s getting closer,” Alder said.

Alder and Wilder both knew she had special abilities that had only happened because of their baby.

“Yes, it is.”

“And Wilder doesn’t know you’re missing the final ingredient.”

“No, he doesn’t, and you promised you were not going to tell him. Do you think if I play classical music twenty-four-seven, it will stop him from doing his first change inside me and tearing me apart?” She spoke the last part in a singsong voice, as she didn’t want her child to panic.

She knew he was just a baby, but that didn’t matter. She wanted to know her son was loved. Wilder had accidentally let it slip that they were having a boy, and it wasn’t like she could fault him.

“If that is his way inclined,” Alder said.

She looked toward the other gruff man and knew he was lying. There had been a lot of changes to him in the last few months. He stopped looking unkempt and actually took the time to shave, although he randomly still had stubble, but it didn’t look dirty. It added a masculinity and sense of control to him.

“You’re learning to be nice, that is so sweet. So, go on, tell me how did it go?” Poppy asked.

Alder continued to keep coming to her for advice, which she found so utterly adorable. She found him quite lovely, especially when he was trying to get a woman to fall in love with him.

“She accepted the flowers,” Alder said.

He’d been stalking, well, not according to his words. He hadn’t been stalking, but he’d been watching his little hiker, who happened to live in town and owned some kind of bakery. She wasn’t quite sure if the woman owned the bakery or just went there often or worked there. Alder now went every single day to get a treat. He’d become partial to a ginger cookie. His words, not hers.

“And?” Poppy asked.

He winced, which meant it didn’t go quite as well as they’d hoped. “She’s allergic.”

“Oh, no,” she said.

“Yeah, so, that didn’t go quite according to plan, but I’m not disheartened,” he said. “She did sneeze, and there were red blotches that came up on her skin.”