Page 10 of Pregnant By the Alpha Wolf

I nod, watching as she devours the second crepe and consider my next move. “Oui. I was actually born in France.”

She looks momentarily surprised at my confession and seems to consider her response thoughtfully as she chews. “That’s where Monet was from, too. That explains the picture, perhaps?” she says, pointing at a painting on the wall behind me. It’s one of his famous waterlily paintings, and I’m glad she obviously likes it, too.

I turn to face it with a small smile. “Ah yes, he’s one of my favorites from that era.” I wander over to the painting, taking in the vibrant colors and the soft brushstrokes. “This one is actually quite old, from his late career.”

She joins me, leaning in to get a better look at it. “Wow,” she breathes again, this time sounding genuinely impressed. “I can’t believe something like this is just hanging on your wall. These are usually in galleries. How old is it?”

Her question catches me off guard slightly. She seems so young—she couldn’t possibly be that interested in art history.But her earnestness disarms me, so I decide to play along. “It was painted around 1916 or so,” I tell her.

“That’s amazing!” She exclaims, looking at me with wide eyes. “And how old…are you?”

The sneaky question hangs in the air between us for a moment, and I see amusement and intrigue dancing in her eyes. I know what she’s asking; she can’t help herself. She is a scientist, after all. But I do not intend to reveal all my secrets so readily. So instead, I divert her attention back to herself. “You haven’t told me much about your parents or your journey here,” I say casually as I pour us both some fresh orange juice from a pitcher on the countertop.

She sighs deeply before answering, clearly not wanting to dwell on her past, either. “They were killed by hunters when I was young,” she begins reluctantly before taking a sip of juice and looking away.

“There is too much tragedy in this world,” I say, and she looks back at me, almost trying to gauge my sincerity. “I can understand why our research into stopping the hunters means so much to you. Speaking of which, we should get you to your lab.”

She immediately looks grateful for the change in conversation, her eyes lighting up at the mention of the new lab. And for that, I’m glad Willow’s research here is vital to bringing down the Order, understanding the Völva magic, and stopping the hunters before they strike again.

“Erm, before we go,” she begins wearily, and I wait for her to continue. “No one is going to think of me as their luna are they? I have friends who are lunas and they have a very different, erm, role. It’s not like this. It’s not a…formality, as you said.”

Silence falls for a moment as I consider my response. A wash of disappointment threatens as she clearly shies from the title of being my luna. As a half-human, perhaps she doesn’t feel the mate bond. “I’m sure your new colleagues at the lab will be more interested in your mind, love.” I say lightly, adding, “I would never kiss and tell anyway, even if you did want to thank me for such a continental treat for breakfast.”

I can’t help but step closer, enjoying how her eyes widen and her heart beats out of control. She appears reluctant to be my luna, but her physical response remains the same as that of our dreamscape. She wants me, and that, I can work with. For now, anyway. Suddenly, her eyes clear, and she slips to the side, collecting the breakfast plates.

“Obviously, thank you for breakfast,” she stammers, “I just wanted to clear up any pack misunderstanding. I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”

“Oh, you could never.” I chuckle.

Her presence in my home is turning out to be a torturous bonus for me. As I watch her clearing the plates, the sunlight dancing over her fiery hair, illuminating her beautiful skin, my thoughts return to the frustrations of last night, and I can’t help wondering if her proximity is a bonus or a curse. I suspect if my beasts don’t get their mate soon, it will become a curse.

Willow seems surprised that her team will be assembled at the lab when we arrive. I’m not, as I had instructed Rian to have the lab ready to go by this morning; the rest of the unpacking is complete, and the lab stands ready. Kaiden arranged for the rest of the samples to be brought with them yesterday, so Willow has everything she needs to get started properly today.

I stand back as the team introduces themselves and listen to Willow outline her research. If I wasn’t impressed before, I am now. Her intelligence and poise in discussing the breadth of her knowledge is simply breathtaking.

Their interest in their new luna is clear, but she appears oblivious to the role's gravitas. After our slightly disappointing conversation this morning, it’s clear she still thinks that aspect of our deal is just a formality.

Our medic, Sara, steps forward. “It is a pleasure to be working on such important research with our new luna,” she smiles.

I see Willow’s eyes flicker to me as if waiting for me to interject and play the situation down, but that’s the last thing I intend to do. “We are proud that our luna is playing such a crucial role in this fight against the Order and those who threaten our way of life. I know you will all welcome my mate and help her in any way you can.”

The small crowd claps and cheers as I wrap my arm around Willow’s shoulders, enjoying the way her small body feels against mine. As the group disperses, I follow Willow into her new office and close the door. I expect a little pushback, but when she turns to me, she looks genuinely angry.

“What was that? Your mate?” she glares. “Everyone knows it was just a formality for assurance, right? We don’t want everyone thinking we’re actually proper mates. Do you?”

My wolf bristles at her words, but I try to school my features as I see something reflected in her own eyes. A searching perhaps, “And why not, love? Do you find me so repulsive?” Her cheeks blush the most furious shade of red I’ve seen yet, and I chuckle, “No, I didn’t think so.”

I see a mixture of shock and mortification flit across her features as she tries to regain her composure. I shouldn’t enjoy teasing her so much, but I can’t seem to help myself; I simply love getting a reaction from her.

“You really are something else, aren’t you? You’re just playing with me. I’m here for the research. Your pack should know that.” Her words are icy, and I’d almost believe her if she didn’t bite down on her lip at the end. I’ll be damned if it isn’t the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure why she thinks I’m playing with her though.

I clear my throat. “I have even arranged for the pack to start giving blood samples. I know you’ve been desperate to get your hands on my DNA, after all.”

She relaxes slightly and gives me what appears to be a genuine smile, “That really is great news; the more data, the better the research.”

“Fabulous,” I tell her, taking off my jacket and starting to undo the buttons on my shirt, “You can do mine now; I know you’re dying to look under the hood, so to speak.”

“What are you doing? And why are you taking your shirt off?” she practically squeaks. “Rian’s the technician. He can do it.”

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