Page 67 of The Alpha Wolf Defying Fate

‘Then why does it feel like I am?’

“Sash? Is that you?” Rory called out from the larger bedroom we had found earlier.

“Yeah,” I answered, wiping my eyes to be sure there were no tears before entering the room.

“Thank the gods,” she gasped. “I’ve been waiting here nearly the whole time since you left. Please tell me you packed some pads or tampons. Anything really. I’ve got nothing and I need them.”

I laughed as I slipped my bag from my back. “Yeah, I’m surprised you didn’t though. You’re usually so much more prepared than I am.”

“Well, I didn’t exactly think we would end up in a realm without a drug store to pop into and buy some,” Rory countered, as she held out her hand for the pad.

“Well, lucky you, I have plenty,” I paused and frowned as I looked back in my bag at the sanitary products. I began to count the days and run the numbers in my head, and my eyes slowly began to widen.

Rory hadn’t noticed anything as I sat in a silent frenzy of disbelief and shock. I could hear her voice in the distance, but I couldn’t quite make out what it was she was saying. My mind was far too busy trying to convince myself that I was wrong. That the math was off.

Stress. It could easily just be stress. After all, what was more stressful than a voice in your head that could yank you out of your body and into a realm of darkness and shadows?

‘No,’my wolf said with a yip of joy.‘I can feel it. I hadn’t noticed it before, but it’s really there.’

I could feel her excitement as my hand subconsciously pressed against my stomach.

‘A pup,’my wolf howled cheerfully.‘Our very own pup! We have to tell our mate! He will want to know!’

I drew back at the idea then and shook my head. There was no way I was going to tell Ayden. Not now. Not when we were so close to finishing this. He was already worried enough about me without him becoming protective of his unborn child.

“You okay?” Rory’s voice finally broke through. “Cramps? You need a pad too? We usually start at the same time don’t we?”

I stared at her and shook my head. I knew I couldn’t tell Ayden. At least not until we were done here. I had told him we would discuss what to do with the mateship afterwards. This would just be a part of it. But I couldn’t keep it all to myself without bursting. I had to tell someone. Why not tell the one person to whom I have always been able to share my biggest moment with?

“No,” I said and reached for my backpack to pull out all of the products. “I won’t need any of these actually, you can have them all.”

Rory nearly dropped them as I pushed them into her arms excitedly. She glared at me for a moment with confusion before her own eyes widened.

“Wait, you don’t mean?” she asked.

I nodded quickly, my hand still resting on my flat stomach as if I already could be showing. My cousin looked from my face to my hand, as if waiting for me to call it a joke and laugh at her. After the fourth back-and-forth glance, she seemed to have been convinced I would not do that and let out a shriek as she threw everything in her arms in the air before pulling me into a tight hug.

“Oh, my gosh! I can’t believe it! How? I mean, I know how, but” she squealed again and hugged me tighter. “I am so excited for you, Sash! What did Ayden say when you told him?”

I shook my head. “Nothing, because I haven’t told him. I literally just realized it right now with you.”

Rory grinned and flipped her hair. “Well, I’m honored to be the first to know.” She looked at me, then squealed again as she pulled me into yet another hug. When she finally released me, she grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the door. “Let’s go tell him now! I want to see his face. He’s going to be so excited.”

“What?” I gasped and pulled my arm back. “Wait, no! Not yet, Rory!”

“What do you mean? Don’t you want him to know? I would if I were you! I’d be leaping into Baer’s arms right now declaring to the world that we finally did it!”

I frowned as I looked at her then, noting the hitch in her voice with the last few words she spoke.

“Rory? Are you okay?” I asked gently.

She nodded, though a few tears slipped past her lashes and trailed down her cheek.

“Of course I am, my cousin is going to have a baby. It’s a cause for celebration. That’s why we should be downstairs now telling the guys and making a toast or something.”

She tried to pull me to the door again, but I pulled back once more.

“I’m not going to tell him yet,” I said.

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