Page 23 of Alpha Bear Accountant

It was getting late, and we really needed to leave. I hadn’t exactly given myself a lot of time between move-out day and the last day of the lease. And my landlord was the type of jerk who’d find a way to snatch my security deposit. I didn’t want to give him any excuses.

“You ready to get out of here?” Todd asked.

“More than.” After double-checking everything was swept clean and empty, I locked the door for the final time then dropped my key in the office slot on our way out.

It was a goodbye to one chapter of my life. It had been a great chapter, but nowhere near as wonderful as the one I was currently in.

We drove part of the way home before stopping at a little motor inn along the way. It was the kind from old pictures, where each unit was like a tiny cabin. It was dated as could be, but it was shifter-owned, according to my mate.

Todd quietly explained that the owners were a hedgehog couple. I didn’t ask him how he knew, but I figured there was maybe some sort of shifter directory of businesses that he referred to when traveling.

As we walked into the office, which was also their home, we were immediately welcomed like long-lost friends. The couple was absolutely adorable, and something told me I’d have known they were hedgehogs even if I hadn’t been informed. There was just something about the way they wriggled their noses as they spoke that gave it away. Not that I would tell them that.

“Are you two here celebrating something special?” Mrs. Hedgehog turned the clipboard over for us to fill in our data. I didn’t catch her name, so that’s what I called her in my head. Ilooked around and realized they didn’t have a computer system here.

“Oh, no, I’m just moving from the city to be with my mate, and we need a place to stay for the night.”

She gave a knowing nod. “Ah, that explains it.”

“Explains what?” I hadn’t meant to ask it out loud, but now that it was there, I wanted an answer.

“Why you’re carrying his cub even though you’re not mated yet.”

I blinked as my breath caught in my throat. “Cub?”

“Martha.” Her husband gave her a look that said,What are you doing?

“Harold, it’s not like he doesn’t know he’s pregnant. Bears have a great sense of smell.”

Wait, what was that? I looked between Todd and the woman. “Does that mean what I think it means? You think I’m pregnant?”

She nodded and raised an eyebrow to Todd.

Todd’s hand settled on my belly and he hummed quietly. “That does explain the sweetness.”

Another nod.

Before I could process all that was happening, Todd pulled me into his arms and was twirling me around. Just before I felt too dizzy, he set me on the ground and kissed me. “We’re having a cub.”

“A cub?” Their conversation was finally starting to sink in.I was pregnant.

“That means you better mark him soon,” the older woman said to Todd. She even wagged her finger to complete the motherly scolding.

“That’s what I said!” I snuggled in closer to my alpha. “Thank you for agreeing.”

“Nope. Not yet. At the wedding.” Ugh, my mate was a stubborn one. “It’s only one week away. We can wait.”

I wasn’t exactly sure that the wait wouldn’t kill me, but I was trying to be strong. It just wasn’t easy.

“Oh, look at you two, being respectful of each other’s cultures.” She cooed like she was looking at a litter of puppies. “Back in my day, it was all arranged matings. Luckily, I got this guy. He’s not too shabby.”

“Hey!” Harold looked up like he was about to say something but then shrugged. “Yeah, that’s accurate. I’m the one who lucked out in this case.”

And suddenly, it felt like we were interrupting them in a private moment.

My mate grabbed the key off the counter and told her he’d finish the paperwork in the morning. Then he dragged me straight to our cabin. “We have some things we need to talk about.” Todd pushed the door closed behind us.

Words were the last thing I was thinking about. “Talking can wait. I need you. Now.”

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