Page 15 of His Prodigal Alpha

The complaints spilled over before I could stop them, all the feelings I’d been keeping to myself finally bubbling over, like a pot left to boil for too long. My hands shook and I stuffed them back into my pockets, but the tremble only made its way into my voice.

“He gets to stay every bit as hot and handsome as I remember, while I’m freakingwaddlingeverywhere. And don’t get me started on the heartburn, or the swelling in my ankles and feet, or the hormonal acne which keeps popping up in places where acne shouldnotexist. And that’s not even mentioningthe hemorrhoids which keep coming and going!”

I left out the random bouts of uncontrollable horniness, the cravings for foods I couldn’t financially afford to satisfy, and the fact that I couldn’t sleep in my preferred position (on my stomach) which meant I was struggling to sleep at all.

I’d lost the battle against my emotions and tears trickled down my cheeks while Brandt looked at me with genuine dismay. I pointed back in the direction of Ollie and Beck’s house angrily. “Why should I be takinghisfeelings into consideration? He thinks he’s had a shock? He’s not the one living this!”

“Day…” Brandt was apologetic, but I didn’t want to hear it.

“It’s fine,” I sniffed and shook my head, pulling one hand out of my pockets to wipe my face. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not,” he insisted, “and had I realized how much you were struggling with your pregnancy, I wouldn’t have empathized quite so easily with the new alpha.” He reached for my elbow and tugged me gently towards the cottage, rather than towards the little lot where my car was parked. “Come inside and let us see if we can’t do something to ease some of your discomfort. We should at least be able to treat the hemorrhoids.”

My face flamed. Of all the complaints to have blurted out! Doctor or not, he didn’t need to know that part. “I don’t have themnow. They just…come and go.”

Honestly, the next person who told me that pregnancy was a magical experience would get a foot lodged firmly up their ass.

“What about your ankles swelling? Is Eric aware? It can be a sign of pre-eclampsia.”

My irritation at him began to fade almost as swiftly as it hadbuilt. I refused to acknowledge that my sudden mood swings might also be related to my condition. I was not a slave to my hormones, damn it! Instead, I told myself that I was just being appreciative of Brandt’s genuine concern.

“He is aware, and I’m fine,” I replied. “But he is keeping an eye on me just in case, I promise.”

While both doctors were tracking my pregnancy, Eric had made it very clear that omega fertility and births were his specialty, even though he had only attended one birth — Ollie’s. Given that it was the only one anyone in the world had seen in hundreds of years, that made sense. But Eric had been researching shifter evolution and omega biology for decades before he’d even met Ollie, so he was still my primary physician. Brandt assisted him during the ultrasounds and to check blood work, but otherwise left Eric to do his thing, and seemed to only assist in the background doing research.

Brandt looked like he wanted to argue with me but bit his tongue. “Are you having any other difficulties which Eric is not aware of?”

I thought again of the cravings I didn’t have the funds to quench, of hating sleeping on my side, of being so horny sometimes that it almost hurt.

“Nope,” I shook my head. “I’m okay.”

“Promise me that if you do, you’ll say something.” The look Brandt pinned me with seemed to pierce right through me. “You’re a friend now, Damon. Not just a lab rat for my brother’s research.”

That was kind of him to say, I had to admit it. But, as I opened my mouth to acknowledge as much out loud, my stomach growled audibly. I glowered down at the bump while Brandt chuckled.

“Come on; Sage has been on a mac ‘n cheese kick. There was a vat of the stuff in the refrigerator last time I checked.”

My stomach growled again. I rubbed it and smiled softly when the little womb usurper did a somersault. “Well, I’d be stupid to turn down carbs and cheese.”

“Good,” Brandt guided me towards the cottage door. “And I’ll locate something to combat the potential heartburn, too.”

I snorted. I guessed he wasn’t completely backing off about my complaints after all. But it was nice having someone care about me, though my traitorous brain wished that it was someone else doing the caring. Someone with blue eyes and a sexy Texan drawl…

Nope.

I was better off without Rex and that was the end of it.

“Lead on,” I told my dragon companion, and I hoped that the cheesy goodness would distract me from my woes.

Chapter Six - Rex

Watching the dark-haired man with the goatee hustle out the door with Damon’s coat in hand, guilt settled like a lead weight in my belly. I was well aware of the others in the room staring at me in silent condemnation and I couldn’t blame them. Not really.

It was obvious that they cared about Damon. That my kitten was one of them. One of their pack, if I was using the terminology right. And my reaction to his…condition…had hurt his feelings.

I wasn’t exactly proud of myself for that, either.

However, in my defense, I wasn’t expecting to ever see Damon again. And even if I had hoped that I might, I certainly wouldn’t have considered that I might have left him with a parting gift of that magnitude.

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