Page 72 of A Beta Protects

“Future plans.”

Her wariness melts away. “Like?”

“I’m going to get you pregnant,” I warn her.

This is something we haven’t talked about, but we need to. We should have already. Another thing I’ve failed to bring up when I should have. Galen used to call me Mr. Prepared for every eventuality.

I’m not sure what happened, but I keep losing myself in the moment when I’m with Kira. Galen thinks it’s hilarious, so do the rest of my packmates who suddenly have a serious beta who wanders around smiling for no reason.

“Is that a bad thing?” she asks softly, wariness creeping back into her expression.

“Not a bad thing.” I slide my palm around the nape of her neck, absorbing the heat of her skin and the way she leans into my touch. “But we do need to talk about it. We should have already.”

It isn’t easy for a shifter and a human to have a child together. It takes time. Kira is my mate, and I have a feeling the normal rules won’t apply when it comes to mates.

“So you think we should use protection?” Her expression is impossible to decipher, but I see something in her gaze that makes me place my hand on her belly, low, where a baby would grow.

“I am not saying that. Maybe because there’s something about you carrying my child that makes me want to lay you in my bed and not let you up again until it happened.”

Her breath catches and the sweet scent of her arousal fills my nostrils as her arms tighten around me. “Really?”

I kiss my favorite freckle of hers. The one right beside her mouth. “Really.”

We look at each other for several seconds, the silence stretching.

“I’m a family man, Kira. I’ve known for a long time now that I want—and what I need—is my mate and a family. That’s all I’ve wanted.”

“You want a family.” As she strokes her palms up my back, I take my hand from her belly and step forward so we don’t have even an inch of space between us. “With me?”

I kiss her. “With you.”

“And our kids. Will they…” Her voice trails off.

“Will they what?” I prompt her.

“Growl?”

“Did you have a problem with them growling?”

She shrugs. “I’m not sure when I’ve never heard you growl.”

I lower my head. Her breathing subtly changes, so I know she thinks I’m getting ready to kiss her. I very softly growl into her ear.

She giggles. “What was that?”

“My ferocious growl, wife. What did you think it was?” I deadpan.

She grins up at me. I kiss her again because I can’t help myself, then take a step back, snagging her hand. “Come on, I want to show you around your new home.”

“My new home?” She eyes the outbuilding with bemusement.

When we returned from Missouri, we moved a lot of Kira’s bigger belongings into another outbuilding for longer term storage. We have more boxes in here, and the rest of her clothes and personal items are in the house.

With bits of straw on the floor and boxes tucked in the corner, it doesn’t look like much of a home. It will.

I wander around the outbuilding, pointing out my plans for the space. “That is going to be where our kitchen will go. Maybe something rustic. We could have a kitchen island there and a big oak table.”

I turn her to the other side. “We could have a log burning fireplace in that far corner with a massive couch so we can leave the skylight where it is.”

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