“I want my pup, but that doesn’t stop the fear I feel. My baby will be an omega. The hunters will come for her. I know without asking that Rome will protect her, but will she be immortal?”

“If your child is born to two immortal parents, then they will be immortal. If one parent is and the other isn’t, then it’s a crap shoot,” Amelia giggled. Was a goddess supposed to say crap shoot?

“You’re fretting over something you have no control over.”

“I know.” Amelia’s hand went to her belly, allowing herself the joy she kept pressed down inside of her. She wanted this child, wanted her to be able to not only experience a mother and father’s love, but love from the pack. She wanted her child to have everything she didn’t have.

“Keep the faith.” Luna’s hand went to her shoulder, giving her strength before she was gone.

“Wait here.” The echo of Luna’s voice was on the wind. Amelia lay on the bench, closing her eyes.

It was the howl of a wolf that woke her. She opened her eyes to find Rome’s wolf watching her with a protective look. He let out a howl asking her to come play with him. She changed into her wolf before she got up. He took off running, and she chased him when she was close enough, she nipped his tail, tugging on it before she broke away making him chase her. They went back and forth chasing the other for what felt like hours. They took breaks to howl at the moon worshiping Luna.

Amelia had been waiting for Rome. When he got close enough, she jumped on him. He let out a whine like injured prey and went down under her slight weight. They started rolling in the grass, nipping at the other until she was too tired to move. She lay there with her mate protecting her. There was love in his eyes and desire, but they were in the open and his protectiveness was out in full force. Her eyes closed, seeking the rest she needed.

The knock on the door is what roused her. Rome was tangled around her, and she could feel his love covering her.

“I’m leaving a tray outside the door,” Sheela said. They listened as she walked away.

“You need food and rest.” Rome got off the bed to retrieve the tray, bringing it back to the bed. It looked like the same tray Sheila brought last time.

“I could eat.” She could also throw up, wondering if he’d been in the bathroom.

Rome fixed both plates from the large serving tray Sheela piled high with different options. Amelia’s stomach growled with hunger pains, drawing Rome’s eyes. He knew he had to. She bit her bottom lip. How could he know when she just found out?

“Eat,” Rome said softly.

Rome placed the pillows against the headboard, propping Amelia up. Then, he sat on the other side of the tray, watching her as she ate.

“You need to eat too.” She forced herself to stop shoving food into her mouth to tell Rome to eat. This was the best steak she ever ate. Normally, she liked her steak with a thin pink ribbon. This one was red and there was blood. It didn’t bother her. She wanted another. She ate until she felt like her stomach was a balloon; it felt so full. Rome took the tray and set it outside the door. Sheela or one of his brothers would come for it.

“You know,” she said now that they’d eaten.

“That you’re pregnant?” She nodded her head. “I’ve known for a while. I was waiting for you to figure it out.”

“What!” He knew she was pregnant and didn’t mention it.

He pointed to his nose. “Your scent changed and after that, I could hear the extra heartbeat. You would have known too, but you weren’t in denial about having a pup.”

She went to challenge him but didn’t. He was right; she was in denial. Not because she didn’t want their child. Everythingaround them was too much, and she couldn’t imagine adding a baby into the mix. Her dream of safety started with no one wanting to kill her. She was the alpha mate of an immortal pack. That dream needed to be packed away with the others that will never happen.

“When the hurricane sweeps up your house, you can’t imagine ever feeling at peace again, but it comes. Peace will come for us too. It will take time, but a day will come when you realize that you’re no longer living on pins and needles waiting for the next thing to happen.

She smiled at the thought of no more hunters making her heart beat faster. Amelia grabbed the stuffie that Rome had tucked securely between their pillows. She picked it up and laid it on his chest.

“This was given to me by a little boy for our baby. I think he knew our baby was going to be a girl, but his mother cautioned him against telling. He couldn’t have been more than six.” She could feel the awe that she refused to feel when talking to them. The little crown sitting on his head still amazed her. Who was this child and how phenomenal must his mother be to breed a future king?

“That brings us to your slipping away from the wolves who were supposed to keep you safe to go after a hunter.”

Shit, he knew.

Chapter Nineteen

Amelia thought about disappearingunder the cover, but that wasn’t going to work.

“You ditched Sheela and Todd, who were there to keep you safe. What would you have done if the hunter got the drop on you? I could be out searching for your dead body right now!” His voice didn’t get louder. No, it got softer and that was scarier than if he was yelling. There was no doubt that he wasn’t going to hurt her. Nope, what she saw was house arrest and guards that would follow her everywhere. This was not how she wanted to live life, even if there was an element of danger in living. What would the world be like if they all pulled up stakes and stayed in the house?

He ranted some more, and she listened because she had ditched the two people who were there to keep her safe. When he was done, she wrapped her arms around him. He was concerned, no, he was scared that he could have lost his mate. It was the same way she felt when he left pack lands.