Page 51 of Luna

Luna

The end of my first trimester ended most of my nausea. I still craved whatever everyone else was eating, but I didn’t spend hours praying to the porcelain god that I be spared. The baby was still growing, and now I had the smallest of bumps. It wouldn’t be recognizable as a pregnant belly for another couple of weeks, but I knew, and so did the others.

Colton brushed against me a million times a day, scent marking me, and Quinn spent a lot of time talking to me about babies, pregnancies, and different things I could do to mitigate the symptoms.

If I’d let my insecurity take over, I would be sad that Quinn was spouting facts about the baby, but he always talked about it in terms of my comfort, trying to make me happier, less queasy. It was obvious he was thinking about my health and not just as the person carrying his child.

We settled into a nice routine. One or more of them went with me to Cosmic Bonds so I could keep working. Halos went to Half Moon Nursery on occasion, and I liked to stop over there after my own workday with Quinn and Colton in tow.

Sometimes Quinn stayed in the beach condo and worked on his class work, and Colton stayed with him. They never spent the night, and after they left, I jumped on Halos and had steamy sex. Even though he made me come more times than I could count, it never felt like he was close enough.

I desperately wanted him to bond me, and there were a few times I thought we might lose our minds and do it, but he always pulled back at the last minute.

I patted the small baby bump, invisible under my sundress, and sighed. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take Halos knotting me and not sinking his teeth into my neck, making him mine forever.

The baby hormones made everything feel heightened, stronger. I’d always wanted him, but it didn’t mean we couldn’t wait until after the baby was born to make sure that’s what he really wanted.

Halos kissed me goodbye just as Colton came inside, and the two alphas nodded at each other.

“Have a good day.” Colton smiled. “You want us to bring you lunch by?”

It was a sweet gesture. I’d thought there would be posturing of some sort between Colton and Halos, even if it was over who could pour the milk on my cereal first, but neither seemed threatened by the other.

“Nah, I’m good.” Halos grinned between us. “You two should have some fun today.”

“Quinn’s still buried under papers?” I tried not to think about how I had Colton all to myself for the first time…since forever. We’d been alone for small snatches of time, but usually Quinn and Colton came over together. It was nice, but I suddenly realized Colton had allowed himself to fade into the background.

I knew he was from Texas, and his family did something with oil. I knew he loved Quinn more than life itself and he was ready to leave his family for the adorkable beta. We both shared an unnatural love for bacon, but that was about all.

“Yep,” Colton said. “I offered to bring you over, but he said we would just distract him.”

“We would,” I grinned easily.

“You want go somewhere or stay inside?” Colton looked around. Halos had taken over cleaning, since I never seemed to have the energy for it. I did some laundry and cleaned up the kitchen, but I hadn’t had to clean the floors or vacuum in three months. I would have felt guilty, but Halos was so pleased with himself I’d let it go.

“Let’s get out of the cottage for a little while, and then come back in the afternoon?” I hadn’t been out of the house to do more than work or go to Half Moon Nursery in ages, and I suddenly wanted to see the beach. “We could walk near Turtle Bay.”

“Sure thing.” Colton held the door open for me, and I climbed into his truck. It smelled like Quinn and Colton, their cotton and rainstorm scents so mingled it was like one.

This is what it would smell like if we were a pack, I thought, and shook my head.

We arrived at the beach a little while later. The boardwalk was weather-beaten and warped, and the water almost always too cold to actually swim, but I loved walking along the sand, letting the balmy breeze lift my hair.

I took Colton’s hand, and we walked down the boardwalk. It wasn’t too crowded, mostly older people and people jogging.

“I just realized I don’t know much about you,” I said, swinging our hands. “You let me and Quinn do all the talking.”

Colton shrugged. “I’m boring. Much nicer to listen to you and Quinn geek out over books or plants.”

“You’re not boring if you like us,” I said, stepping out of the path of a jogger. He did a double take but kept going when the alpha sent him a glare.

“Born and raised in Texas,” he said. “Didn’t do too great in school. I had a hard time focusing. I like doing things, I don’t like sitting around talking about them.”

I laughed. “That’s accurate.”

He grinned. “My dad’s an alpha, mom’s a beta. I have an older brother who’s an alpha, he’s got his nice little pack going.”

There was a hint of bitterness there. “What?”

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