Page 60 of Warwick

I moved away enough to look up at him. “Really?”

Warwick nodded. “I thought I already mentioned that?”

I tried to remember if he had or not. I shrugged but couldn’t recall him saying that. “You mentioned shorter days this week, half days next week and the week after or until I go into labor. I don’t remember you mentioned that you were pulled from field duty.” That was one of Warwick’s favorite things. “Are you going to be all right with not being able to go out and do things? I know how much you love being in the field.”

Warwick pulled me close again, his arm wrapping around the back of my head. “I’m fine. I want to be here with you. Sure, I can be home in a blink, but the council is providing the same benefits for me that they have for all previously mated couples. Sebastian just came back recently. Drew gave birth a little over a month ago, so he’s not back to full days yet. But he’s working on the assignment same as me. It’s how the council works. They make sure everyone has time to be with their families.”

I, of course, knew this. And I knew Drew and Sebastian and could still recall Sebastian’s first call to the clinic. He was so worried, and rightly so. Drew had terrible morning sickness. Thankfully, that was something I didn’t have to worry about.

“They need more help,” I said absently.

“The council does. That was talked about briefly today. Master Edison is going to reach out and talk to the fates to see if there are any fae that are willing to come join the enforcers. We need more people with magical powers. Fae fit that, and according to Benjamin, when talking to his brother-in-law, there are several fae that aren’t happy where they are. I would imagine the possibility of coming here without the guarantee of finding your mate could be enticing to some.”

“You did,” I said.

“I was banished. Big difference.”

I shrugged. “Yes, but you were still here without a mate for a long time.” I yawned.

“Yes, I was. But now, that’s changed.” Warwick kissed my forehead again. “Close your eyes, Cecil. Take a nap, and we’ll talk more later.”

He always knew what I was feeling. He knew I was tired and fighting it. I sighed and did exactly that. “I love you,” I told him as I snuggled closer. This was my absolute favorite place to be. Safe in Warwick’s arms.

Chapter 21

Warwick

“You’re distracted.”

I looked over at Atticus. “I think Cecil is in labor, but he’s not reached out to me yet,” I told him. Everyone in the conference room stopped what they were doing and looked at us.

Atticus blinked at me before giving my shoulder a shove. “If your mate is in labor, why aren’t you home with him?”

“Because I said I think he’s in labor. He had said he would let me know if the contractions started.”

The room was still quiet, aside from what Atticus and I were saying. Alpha Sergei approached us. “Warwick, if you believe your mate might be in labor, you should be with him. I speak from experience; things can go from next to nothing to him pushing in a matter of minutes. Despite Cecil not having reached out to you yet, if you have that feeling, you should go.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” Master Edison asked. He had his phone in his hand.

“Lev is with him. And I was told I would be on half days until Cecil went into labor. But he wasn’t in labor when I came into work this morning.”

Alpha Sergei shook his head as he came over to me. He pulled me from my seat and led me out of the conference room. “You should be home with your mate. Even if he’s not in labor, at this point, I’d say it’s safe to say you should be with him. You should be seeing to his needs, making him as comfortable as possible in any way you can.”

“I do that when I’m home. Lev has started coming over in the mornings to be with Cecil. They spend a lot of time baking.” I rubbed my stomach, thinking about the triple-layer brownies that Cecil and Lev had made yesterday. I had never had brownies like them before, but I knew I now had a favorite type of brownie. Between the two of us, we’d eaten the entire pan while watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It was one of my favorites, and Cecil had surprisingly never seen it. He now knew why I liked it so much.

“You’re thinking about your mate.”

I looked up at Alpha Sergei. “Yes. I do that a lot. Your mate helped me realize and understand what I’m feeling toward him is love.”

“I would not be the man I am today without Chin. He is my rock, and I’m not too proud to admit that. He makes me a better person, and I cannot imagine going through life without him. I can see similarities between you and Cecil that I experienced when Chin and I first met.”

We stopped in the main entrance of the council building. “I know I’m not overly approachable here at work, but I make sure I’m completely available to him. I don’t want to mess things up like my pack thought I would.”

Alpha Sergei shook his head. “They were a bit wrong to say that to Cecil. Some people are just not as open as others. That is all right. There is no requirement that every person is as boisterous as Benjamin and Sebastian. Can you imagine if every enforcer was like them?”

I shook my head. “Must be their family line. Rainier isn’t much different.”

Alpha Sergei laughed. “That is very true.” He patted me on the shoulder. “Check out at the desk, then go home to your mate. You are officially on baby leave.” I started to tell him that there was no baby yet, but Alpha Sergei shook his head. “You need to be with Cecil. This close to his due date, things can change in a blink.”

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