Page 40 of Alpha Awakening

“You can barely call my penguin waddle a run,” Niev laughed, trying to calm her with humor.

“Let’s get you something to eat and I can watch my penguin waddle by the water again,” Blake lightly added and climbed off the bed.

He and Ann disappeared, and she listened to them as they roamed around in the kitchen. She tried to concentrate all her senses on them. She didn’t want to deal with her own swirling thoughts, nor did she want Blake to feel them. At least, not yet. She wanted her mind to be calm before she was ready to share them with him.

Niev nibbled on her lunch with Blake sitting next to her and Ann on a chair nearby. Blake’s mind was swirling just like hers, his wolf’s excitement radiating through his soul. Just as they finished up someone knocked on the door.

“Where is everyone?” Kareem called.

“In the bedroom, my love.”

A moment later Kareem walked in, his eyes worriedly looking between them. “What happened?”

“Niev wasn’t feeling well so Natalie gave her bedrest for today,” Ann quickly explained.

Kareem nodded. “We shall go on a run another day.”

“No,” Niev quickly chimed in. “You two should go. I’ll just be sleeping anyway, and Ann can keep me company.”

Blake searched her bond and could feel that she needed space. He wasn’t hurt, but he couldn’t hide his worry.

“Look, Natalie will come check on me later too. Please don’t stay just because of me. We would’ve stayed behind anyway.”

Though Blake didn’t want to leave her, he nodded and kissed her forehead. “As you wish.” Lovingly running his fingers over her cheek, he added, “Please listen to Natalie.”

“I won’t leave the bed unless I have to,” she reassured him.

“I’ll make sure of it,” Ann promised.

Kareem kissed Ann before looking down at Niev. “We won’t be long.”

Niev nodded, curled up on her side, and pulled a pillow between her knees. She closed her eyes and listened to the fading bond as Blake ran off. She felt bad for not sharing his excitement and was glad to let her feelings out without risking him feeling them. She knew it was the right thing to do. Deep down, this is what she always wanted for him. She’d always wanted him to be the person he was born to be. She wanted his wolf to be the leader he was meant to be.

Ann quietly left and she could hear her settle in the living room. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she opened herself up to all of her emotions. There was lots of fear, angst, and grief. She would lose everything she’d built so far, the friendships, her found family, and physical things like the home Blake had built for them.

Of course, she knew that all these things weren’t totally lost. Her family would still be her family, just further away, and the knowledge she’d gained from Christa would always stay with her. The house would be replaceable and all the things she’d gotten for Aruna and Emlyn would come with them. Yet, she couldn’t help but grieve it all.

She liked the Montanha Territory, and the pack seemed very sweet, but becoming a luna meant startingover–again. After the past few months, she hoped things would settle down and she would be able to enjoy the serenity of the Timber Territory. Of course, the Montanha pack was calm too, perhaps even too calm for her. It was even further away from civilization than she already was. Living there meant being even more reliable on Blake. She couldn’t just grab the car and drive off.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d pondered with herself, but Ann’s quiet voice pulled her out of her misery. “Yes, Niev said you would come by again.”

“How is she?”

“Miserable, but only because she can’t leave the bed,” Ann said jokingly. “She has been resting up since lunch.”

“Good.”

The two women came closer and Niev quickly wiped her tears. She didn’t want them to worry, but as soon as their eyes met she knew they could see that she’d been crying.

Ann quickly came closer and kneeled before the bed, taking Niev’s hand in hers. “Oh Niev, what happened?”

“I don’t know, hormones I guess.”

Ann clearly didn’t believe her. “Are you hurting? I can get someone to find Blake for you.”

“No, I just got scared I guess.” It wasn’t a lie. She did get scared, but not for the reason Ann and Natalie suspected.

“Would you like me to check on the twins again? Maybe hearing their heartbeats will ease your mind.”

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