Page 54 of The Alpha's Bullied Pregnant Mate

Fannar nodded, grateful to have someone who understood what he was going through. "I just want to be the best father for him, Mom. I want to give him everything."

They had been walking and speaking the whole time, and they finally found a quiet corner in the hallway, away from the hustle and bustle of the birthing chamber.

His mother took his hand, squeezing it gently. "There's no manual to this, Fannar. The key is to be there for him, to love and support him in every stage of his life. You do that, you make yourself someone that that young boy can depend on, no matter what, and you’d have accomplished what you seek."

Fannar nodded, a mixture of determination and uncertainty in his eyes. "I just want to give him everything, to be the father he deserves."

His mother squeezed his shoulder gently. "And you will, Fannar. But remember, it's not about material things. It's about being present, offering guidance, and creating a loving environment. Parenthood is a partnership between you and Isla, and together, you'll navigate the highs and lows."

“I just feel so inadequate!” he confessed. “This is a spaceship, and I’m a fucking farmer. I have no idea what the controls are, how am I supposed to fly it?”

"You're not alone in this, you know?. Every parent goes through these emotions. It's the unpredictability that makes it beautiful. Embrace the challenges, learn from them, and most importantly, savor the joyous moments," his mother advised.

Fannar sighed. “You seem so sure. How?”

She chuckled, her eyes filled with pride. "I raised you, didn’t I?. Parenthood has a way of bringing out strengths you never knew you had. Trust yourself, trust each other, and your family will thrive. I promise"

Fannar turned to the large window overlooking the garden. It had started snowing outside, slow fakes descending lazily from the sky. Fannar and his mother stood side by side, watching the flakes descend in companionable silence.

The world outside was hushed, the falling snow covering the mountain in a serene blanket. Fannar, deep in thought, felt a certain heaviness lift from his shoulders as he gazed at the quiet beauty of the autumn night.

His mother, too, seemed lost in her own reflections, and the two shared a moment of understanding without the need for words. She chuckled quietly to herself and Fannar glanced at her, raising a brow. “What’s so funny?”

She cleared her throat. “I remembered something, that’s all. And it amused me.”

“Would be nice if you shared the joke, you know?”

She laughed again. “Relax, it’s nothing to start getting so worked up over, I assure you.” She glanced at him and shook her head. “I saw through it right from the first day, you know? Sure, it was convincing enough, but I wasn’t fooled. I just thought you should know.”

Fannar frowned in confusion. He had no idea what she was talking about and was about to speak when it hit him. He smiled an embarrassed smile and shook his head. “I really shouldn’t be surprised. Would have been more shocking if you didn’t notice anything amiss.” He frowned again. “Why did you let it go on for so long?”

His mother chuckled softly. “Funny, Isla asked me the same thing when I told her about it… And my answer is the same. I saw something in her that convinced me that you both were perfect for each other. And that was more than enough for me.”

Fannar sucked his teeth and gazed out the window again. “I really should start trusting you more, mom.”

She laughed—a sweet sight on her lovely face—and kissed Fannar on the cheek. She turned and walked down the hallway. When she got to the bend, she glanced back at Fannar, who had turned to watch her leave. “You really should, Fannar. Sadly, you never learn.”

She disappeared behind the corner and Fannar turned back to watch the snow flakes drifting slowly in the wind. Sadly, I never learn… Only this time, there was so much more to lose and he couldn’t afford to make mistakes anymore.

The cry of a baby reached into his thoughts and dragged him back into the real world. Smiling, he turned and walked back towards the birth chamber. His child needed him. And, he suspected, so did his mate.

Epilogue - Isla

“I really don’t know why we couldn’t just spend Christmas at the palace,” Fannar’s mother grumbled the umpteenth time.

“Because,” Isla said, laying a placating hand on Fannar’s thigh and squeezing gently with hopes that it cooled him down some. “Because we hosted the last two, and the rest of the guys are not really thrilled about hauling all the way up the mountain to Frost Peak a third time in a row. That’s why.”

“Like I explained to you over and over again,” Fannar said in a clipped voice. He loved his mother, but she had a way of getting on his last nerve. Isla suspected the older woman did it on purpose, but there was no way to prove it.

“I mean, it’s Whispering Oak… Only the best town around here, and the weather is absolutely splendid this time of year. It’s almost as if they are perpetually locked in Spring and Autumn down there.” Elsa had spent the last two Christmas holidays and had only decided to stay with Isla at the last minute this time around.

“Say what you want,” Mrs. Agdluak insisted, pouting. “I still think we should have just stayed back in Frost Peak. What beats a white Christmas? Nothing. And nowhere gets whiter than Frost Peak.”

“Well, too bad, mom, seeing how we are halfway to Whispering Oak and we can’t turn back around now, can we?” Fannar eyed her through the rear view mirror. “Look, you know Callahan and the others, right? Would it kill you to just pretend for a few hours?”

Oliver, who had been watching a cartoon on a tab, now followed the conversation closely, his head turning in the direction of each speaker. He paid such rapt attention to each word that Isla felt a chill in her bones. Only two years old, and yet her son exhibited some traits that made him look several years older.

He had Fannar’s eyes and hair, much to Isla’s dismay. She didn’t hide the fact that she was jealous that her son was going to be an exact doppelganger of his father. Ironically, their appearance was the only thing the two shared. Oliver’s personality was as bubbly as Isla’s and he stood out among other children in preschool.

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