Page 204 of Fated to the Hunters
A month had passed since Scarlett announced her pregnancy. Though they wanted to keep it a secret just a little longer, they’d begun the search for a midwife. It was one of Scarlett’s biggest concerns. Ezra finally managed to find a witch who specialised in midwifery and had assisted many rogue wolves through their pregnancies and births. They were meeting with her today, and though Scarlett was rather nervous, Ezra stepped up to the front porch and knocked anyway.
A moment later the door opened, and he was greeted with a motherly smile from a petite, thirty-something brunette. “How wonderful all four of you came!” She reached her hand out to him and softly shook it. “I’m Matilda.”
“I’m Ezra.” Then he turned and introduced the other two men before taking Scarlett’s hand and pulling her closer. “This one is the most important. This is Scarlett, our mate.”
“It is very nice to meet you,” Matilda said, taking her hand and stepping aside. “Come in. Let's get to know each other a little.”
Matilda’s house looked like any other in the neighbourhood, but the second Ezra stepped inside, it was clearly the house of a witch. Herbs hung in the kitchen where a potion simmered on the gas stove, and she clearly preferred candles over any kind of modern electricity. Maybe humans thought she was odd for displaying skulls along her shelves, but Ezra felt oddly at home. Especially when he noticed the witchcraft books scattered over the top of a Ouija board.
“Tea anyone?” Matilda asked, guiding them to sit on the couches. With his warning from their adventure to the witch village they all shook their heads. Matilda only laughed. “I will take that as a compliment that you see me as capable of poisoning you.” She sat opposite them, her hands folded in her lap and waiting for one of them to take the lead.
“We visited the small settlement in the Black Ridge Mountains not too long ago. Ezra made us promise not to drink anything while there,” Scarlett softly started.
“Ah yes, I believe the rumour has made its rounds within the hunter community, hasn’t it? A wise choice. So, you are the three hunters who slayed the lycans. I was wondering if it might be you.”
Scarlett nodded and fidgeted with the hem of her dress. “Ezra said you have helped many rogues before.” Though necessary, Scarlett grimaced to refer to herself as such.
“And by that expression, I assume you did not grow up without a pack.”
Scarlett shook her head, blinking away tears.
“I’m very sorry for your loss and I hope I can guide you through this next chapter of your life as well as the women of your pack would have.”
Scarlett gave her a watery smile. “Thank you.”
“I’m sure you have many questions, so I’ll tell you a little about myself before I will answer them to the best of my abilities.”
Matilda explained her history, and how she would support all four of them throughout the pregnancy. She would monitor both Scarlett and the baby’s growth and after a while, she would be able to do so with an ultrasound machine. Scarlett was very pleased about that, afraid Matilda would be old-fashioned when it came to technology.
When they talked about Scarlett’s early symptoms, especially the fatigue and morning sickness, Matilda gave Ezra some herbs and potions, with explicit instructions on how to prepare them for Scarlett. She was also pleased to hear that they had vampire blood on reserve for the birth, just in case something were to go wrong.
Scarlett left with a much lighter heart and the homework to think about what kind of birth she envisioned for herself.
On the way home, they stopped at a small boutique so Scarlett could buy the first few pieces of baby clothes. Ezra stayed close to her, always stealing a kiss or touch. He hadn’t been able to keep his hands off her ever since she’d revealed her pregnancy. Mateo felt the same, loving the added perk of fucking her bare and taking her any second she let him. Vince had started to spend more time with her too, but took every chance he could get in his workshop—he’d been building a bassinet from scratch.
“Do you want to know if it’s a boy or girl?” Scarlett asked, deciding on neutral outfits one way or the other.
“As long as they are healthy.”
“Would it matter for your family bloodline?”
“Not at all.”
‘But you know they will carry wolf blood, right? They’ll be burned by silver?’
‘I am aware. If they choose to follow our footsteps and want to hunt, we’ll figure it out.’
‘Gloves are an alternative,’Mateo chimed in. ‘But if they don’t feel comfortable with the silver around there will be other methods we can explore.’
Scarlett shuddered, and Mateo avoided even thinking about the details of those methods. “Did you have the same blue eyes as Karena has?” she asked Ezra.
“I did.”
“I wonder if the baby will have them too.”
“I like yours better.”
She turned and kissed his cheek before joining Vince in the toy section. She laid her arm around Vince’s waist and stroked the fluffy wolf in his hands. “Oh, that’s so soft. Is that your first baby money spent?”
