Page 26 of Alpha Bear Accountant

My alpha sealed our bond with a bite at the juncture of my neck and shoulder, marking me as his for the rest of our lives.

A sharp gasp escaped me, but it wasn’t from pain. It was from the profound completion that filled me. Warmth spread from the wound, marking his claim on me. Marking his love with a promise etched into my flesh for eternity.

It was a primal act that only truly bound fated mates. Most people didn’t ever experience this kind of love or commitment, and I thanked all facets of the universe that I was one of the lucky few.

As we caught our breath, Todd's arms circled me with both strength and tenderness. “You okay, my love?”

I sighed and squeezed him tightly. “I’m better than I’ve ever been in my life.”

18

TODD

I came home early from work because my bear insisted we were needed there. He didn’t seem nervous, but he was definitely bossy. He’d been trying to take charge more often since Niam first discovered he was pregnant.

My bear always put our mate first, and today was no exception. He was protective, loving, and thrilled beyond measure to have a cub joining our family. He was sure our cub would grow up to be a big, tall grizzly like he was. But I didn’t care whether our child was fully human or a shifter. As long as they were healthy, I would always be the happiest alpha in Oak Grove.

When I walked into the house, I half expected to see my mate in the kitchen. The best light was in there and I often found Niam drawing at the table. I had put together some plans to build him a little outbuilding made of glass so he could take full advantage of the sun. But that was going to have to wait another year. As it was, we had just barely gotten the house ready in time for the baby.

And even that, we’d cut close.

According to the midwife, Niam could give birth any time now. Which meant that finishing two days ago was, yeah, a little stressful.

Everything was finished, though. The electrical wiring and plumbing had been replaced. The walls that needed repairs were all done. New carpeting was in place in the rooms that needed it. Refinished floors. Grounded outlets. You name it, we got it done—including making the nursery off our bedroom the most adorable room on the planet.

When I didn’t find him in the kitchen, I assumed he was either upstairs taking a nap or in the nursery, which was where I ended up finding him sitting in the rocking chair, holding a stuffed bear.

"Everything okay, love?"

He looked up at me. "Yeah, I think so."

"You think so? You don’t know so?" That didn’t sound great to me.

"Well…this morning, I woke up and I was so sure there was a ton to do for the baby. And then I came in here and realized it’s all done. We did it all. It’s clean. The clothes are put away. All the beautiful butterflies and trees are already on the wall. The mobile is attached to the crib. The diaper station is stacked. Everything. And I figured if I sat here long enough, I’d remember what it was that I needed to do."

I squatted down in front of him. "It could be that there isn’t anything left to do. And you know what that means?”

He shook his head.

“If the baby were in your arms right now, is there anything they wouldn’t have that I couldn’t instantly get from one of the local stores?"

He sighed. "When you say it like that, it sounds silly that I’ve been sitting here racking my brain for hours.” Hours. My sweet mate had been in here for hours. I wish he’d called me, but I’d learned early on in his pregnancy that being pregnant meant hormone overload, and sometimes that meant unusual decisions.

"It’s not silly. I think they call it nesting. You’re just making sure everything’s ready for the baby and all that." My parents warned me this was coming. They were planning to come out and visit when our baby was born and had only met Niam via Zoom, but they loved him already.

"Maybe…" He paused as he looked at me. "But you know what? You forgot something."

I grabbed my phone, thinking maybe I’d missed a message from him asking me to pick something up on the way home. Nothing. "I don’t know what I’m missing, but if you tell me, I’ll go take care of it."

"My kiss, silly alpha."

That I could give him. I leaned in and scented him deeply, pressing a kiss to his mating mark first and then to his lips.

"Do you want to stay in here longer?" I didn’t want to pressure him to get up before he was ready.

"No. I think we need to go for a walk."

"A walk sounds nice."

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