Page 21 of Such a Delicious Omega

“Shifting helps? I mean, I know it can heal wounds and stuff, but too much tequila?”

“So I’ve heard. Like I said, I don’t get hangovers, so I can only go on hearsay. But it’s worth a try, isn’t it? Or I can go see if I have any tomato juice and eggs?”

Instead of answering, he shifted, going from a hot pale omega to a gorgeous gray wolf. Despite my joking about not minding being naked here, I had bought this house because it sat at an angle where no other house’s occupants could see into the backyard. It also came up against a wilderness area perfect for running. I shifted as well and raced toward the opening in the fence disguised by a large shrub. We ran side by side over the ground, passing trees and boulders, leaping over streams and rolling together down a grassy slope. If Echo had any trace of a hangover left, I saw no sign of it.

It had taken us a while to introduce our wolves, but now that we had, I predicted we’d be spending a lot more early mornings and late evenings in our fur together. My wolf was ecstatic at the prospect.

Chapter Nineteen

Echo

“Welcome to the Briarwood hotel. Are you checking in today?” A sweet older couple came in, hand in hand. The woman smiled, but it took her and her husband a good bit to actually reach the counter.

“We are checking in. It’s under Tuttel.” Her voice was soft but musical. It immediately made me think she was a grandmother who baked cookies and cakes for everyone.

“I see. A reservation for three days. There are freshly baked cookies and coffee over there on the counter and here are your keys. Enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you, dear. And congratulations. You’re absolutely glowing.”

I clicked out of the reservation and smiled at her, but her words didn’t immediately register. They began to walk toward the stairs and I stopped them. “Excuse me. Congratulations on what?”

The man, her husband, patted her on the arm and whispered something in her ear.

“Nonsense, Jimmy. If I don’t tell him, he’s going to find out eventually.” She turned to me. “What I meant was congratulations. You’re expecting. We had seven children ourselves. They are such a blessing.”

They walked away, but I stayed put. How did she know? I had suspected something was up with me, and after a few weeks put two and two together and realized what was going on but with our sometimes conflicting schedule, I hadn’t brought it up yet.

Good thing tonight was date night. But first, I had to make sure.

“Do you mind if I leave a few minutes early?” I asked my manager.

“No problem. We’re pretty slow, and you always come in early. Go on. Have fun with that man of yours.”

Samuel had come to pick me up at the hotel a few times, and boy did I hear about it the next day. Everyone thought he was handsome and sexy, but not nearly as much as I did.

I stopped by the pharmacy and bought one of each kind of test, just in case. If I was going to tell him tonight, then I wanted to be absolutely positive. This wasn’t small news. This was life-changing, earth-shaking news.

I had to be sure. Returning to the hotel, I went into the employee lounge and used the restroom there to take the tests.

I had to wait until the large water I drank took effect. Samuel called me and asked if I was on my way.

“I’m leaving in ten minutes.” While my mate didn’t care if I was punctual or not, I did. After a quick shower, I was ready to take the tests. I lined them up on my counter while I got dressed. Nervously, I checked myself in the mirror and packed up a bag, counting down the seconds until my life changed—or didn’t.

The thing was, my wolf already knew. There was a pup inside me.

Still, this human brain of mine needed to see for itself.

In the bathroom, I loomed over the tests, reading each one. Some had lines. Some had words. But they all said the same thing.

I was pregnant. Samuel’s pup was in my belly.

Now to tell my mate.

By the time I got home, I was shaking. My overthinking and nervousness had gotten the better of me and I wished we were going to the club so he could spank it out of me.

“What’s the matter, Echo?” he asked as soon as I got out of the car. “Talk to me, mate.”

“Let’s go inside. I have something to tell you.”

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