Page 42 of A Kiss From a Wolfman

A soft laugh echoes from a few feet away, and my blood heats instantly. As if her sweet scent wasn’t already luring me towards her, the sound of her voice certainly is.

Near the center of the den, I find her dressed in the simple green gown I saw her dress in this morning. She is talking with Brydon and his mate Elaine—a human woman of thirty, with whom Brydon crossed paths on his way back from town. Her horse had fallen and trapped her beneath it. Brydon had brought her back here, where Stella mended her broken leg, and she and him fell deeply in love as he saw to her recovery.

Love. There has been so much of it since that creature appeared and saved my Stella. Whatever mating blight my pack had been under was done away with overnight. Stella and I mayhave been the first pairing, but we are far from the last. Our pack's legacy will continue for generations.

Especially our line as I watch my mate rest a hand on her swollen stomach.

She is only a few months along and already showing a considerable amount. Pride floods my chest as I take her in. Stella is the most beautiful female I’ve ever seen, but somehow, during the year we have been together, her beauty has grown. Now, as she is round with our child, her loveliness nearly sends me to my knees.

I approach her slowly, coming to her side and wrapping my arm around her waist. Her smile is brilliant as she stares up at me. I kiss her softly, delighting in her taste.

“Alpha,” both Brydon and Elaine say. I nod politely at them and tuck Stella firmly into my side.

“Thank you for the pain-relieving herbs, Stella. My leg always hurts before it’s about to rain.”

“Happy to help,” my mate says before bidding the other two goodbye.

She turns into my embrace. Reaching between us, I run my hand down her stomach before lifting it in my hands. Stella lets out a soft moan, and her eyes glaze over.

“That feels wonderful.” Her hand rests atop mine. “I missed you.”

We have barely been apart for two hours, yet it feels like years since I last had her in my arms.

“I missed you, mate. How are you feeling? Are your back and feet still aching?”

She wrinkles her adorable nose and I suppress the urge to kiss it.

“A bit. Why did no one warn me how much your feet swell during pregnancy? I’m tempted to go barefoot until the babe is born.”

She lifts her mouth towards mine indicating she wants a kiss. I happily oblige her as our mouths move over each other.

“Besides that, I’m fine, Ciaryn. You need not fuss over me so much.”

I shake my head.

“When I found out you were pregnant, I should’ve demanded you remain in our bed where I could keep watch over you.”

We talked about waiting—about going on adventures and traveling. However, both of us had already seen all of the world we wanted to see. Together, we decided that our next adventure would be starting our family and making our lives even fuller.

“But, as I said before, I hate being idle and while my feet may hurt I’d much rather be on them than spending my days doing nothing,” she reminds me.

“Stubborn mate,” I sigh.

“But you love me regardless?”

“Of course I do.”

Stella grins and her blue eyes sparkle up at me.

“I have many months of pregnancy ahead of me Ciaryn. Once I get too big, I’m sure I’ll be longing for the days I can lie in bed from sun up to sun down. Until then, I have responsibilities as mistress of this pack.”

“Indeed, with so many new human females here, there’s never a shortage of things to be done,” I agree.

As head healer, Stella has been busy training other women in her skills. Every day I am more in awe of her than the last. Truly I am the most fortunate male to call her mine.

“But,” Stella says, her grin turning wicked. “I’ve finished most of my tasks for the day and could be persuaded to get off my feet for a few hours if you wanted to keep me company.”

She bats her golden eyelashes at me and my cock hardens in an instant.

---