Page 48 of Sold to the Alpha Wolf

Grayson snuck an arm around me, pulling me into a hug. I laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Well, look at you, you old dog! First heat, first time, and she’s carrying your heir? Well done!”

“Ha!” Kaiden echoed my uproarious chuckle, and I pulled back to pound Grayson on the shoulder. “I assure you it was far more than just the first time. Think we got up to five?”

“Jet!” Senna smacked my arm, glaring playfully at me, and then MacKenzie was yanking her into a hug.

“Oh, congratulations, Senna!” She looked down to her lower belly, patting it gently. “Hello in there! I’m you’re Auntie Kenzie. You want all the good treats? I’ll hook you up.”

So much laughter then, laughter and cheers and jokes, and it all felt so damn good.

Kaiden pulled me off to the side as the rest of the pack paid their respects to Senna, Grayson and Kenzie flanking her in silent protection. As we got to the edge of the room, where there was more air and space, I let out a long breath, leaning against the wall, suddenly exhausted.

“You all right there, Alpha?” Kaiden smiled easily as I nodded at him.

“Of course. It’s…well, there is a lot to digest. Magic, Völva, baby. I’m a bit tired, is all.”

With a slight bounce to his head, Kaiden pulled up next to me against the wall, kicking his leg up and folding his arms over his chest. For a moment, he just allowed me to be still, to not answer questions or give directions. It was…incredible. Kaiden’s subtle fragrance of dew and fallen leaves warmed the space next to me, and I looked over, cocking a brow.

“Something is on your mind.”

Kaiden laughed. “Observant as always.”

He sighed, his stare finding the floor and drifting away as memory took him. “Before we arrived here, before our parents and most of our pack had been destroyed, Kenzie and I spent a lot of time with our grandmother.”

Furrowing my brow, I mirrored Kaiden’s arm cross. “Your grandmother? You haven’t spoken about her before. And here I thought I knew everything about you two.”

Smiling through the unmistakable sadness clinging to him, Kaiden absently fiddled with his thumb ring. “She didn’t have a wolf. We didn’t know how that would play over. And after a while, it just became something we didn’t talk about. She was killed and…and bringing it up hurt too much.”

I put a hand on Kaiden’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. Truly. You know that it never would have been an issue for me, even before Senna, yes?”

Genuine appreciation touched Kaiden’s features, and he nodded with a scoff. “You’ve never made Kenzie and me feel anything but welcome. Anyway, the reason I bring it up is because I wonder now. I wonder if those keen eyes and ears of hers were actually gifts. Like you were describing. She’d always said she knew when my sister and I were getting into trouble. Maybe she was being more than playful.”

Part of me really wished I’d gotten to know Kaiden’s family, particularly this Völva grandmother of his. There was a wealth of information in knowing someone, and there were so few answers to be found in just the tomes downstairs.

“Perhaps. I assure you, if I’d been a strong wolf, older, I would have done everything that I could to help aid your pack. I wish there was a way to talk to them again, not just for my sake, but yours.”

Kaiden shrugged, pushing off the wall and clapping a hand down on my shoulder. “Ah, no use in that. I used to spend every waking minute wishing to see them again. But you can’t live in the past. Only the present. And right now, you have a very beautiful woman looking at you like she needs a break from all the commotion.”

Looking over to where Kaiden nodded, I met eyes with Senna, who did look especially overwhelmed by all the attention. She couldn’t possibly be used to having the pack sniffing all over her like they were. Terrance didn’t seem the type to promote that type of connection amongst his wolves. Continues to be an unsurprising asshole.

I pulled Kaiden in for another hug, patting him on the back.

“You’re a fine man, Kaiden. I should be proud to have you as a beta, though for now…” I looked back at Senna, knowing we still had one more secret to share, “I think we have to pause the trials.”

“What? Why?” Kaiden pulled back as soon as the words left his mouth, ducking his head for the outburst. But I knew why he was so shocked, and I hardly blamed him.

Gripping the crook of his neck and sending a comforting wave of understanding through the pack bond, I nodded once.

“We have one more thing we need to tell everyone. And this one is far less joyful.”

Chapter 21 - Senna

The intensity of having a room full of wolves, nearly every single one sniffing around happily and chatting with me in a constant stream, was extremely overwhelming.

“Thank you, really.” I nodded at another female wolf who’d introduced herself as Gemma. “I’m just feeling a little out of place. I’m not used to this type of pack…interest.”

“She’s being polite. How about we all give the pregnant lady some space, yeah?” MacKenzie put her hands on my shoulders, and the people around me hesitated. “Come on. Doctor’s orders.”

---