Page 42 of Alpha's Baby Girl
But even before then, mine and Thalia’s story had begun, only ever-growing through our Mating Games and her pregnancy. It had been a slow rebuilding of trust between us, but also between her and my pack. Eventually, they had welcomed her properly into the home with the promise of keeping the volume down. I’d only growled a warning at them, making them scatter.
Watching my mate swell with our child had been something that had sent me to my knees almost every morning and evening to truly worship her and give her the attention she deserved. Even when she could no longer take me so intimately, I still found ways to please her.
Tending to her every need had been a duty I’d gladly accepted but Thalia hadn’t proven to be the bedridden pregnant mate everyone told me to prepare for in life. She had been determined, just as stubborn as me, to still hunt with me, learn the ways of the pack, and help prepare the nursery but I had ushered her back to bed, especially when she could no longer see her own feet but thought she could be on her feet to paint the nursery gold and blue.
She was trying to match everything to our eyes in wolf form, and I loved that.
We’d named her Reika, the name I’d always loved since it was my grandmother’s, and we’d given her the female version of my name, Feyren, to carry on the tradition. Holding Reika in my arms as I nestled into a rocking chair, I knew everything was whole.
Thalia was asleep in our bed across the room from me, her hair messily pulled back, purple circles of fatigue under her eyes, but she was just as beautiful as the day I’d met her.
Reika’s hands reached up, a gurgle coming from her cute pout, as she grabbed for me. If her hair remained this pale, she’d have Thalia’s genes, but her eyes were of the brightest blue I’d ever seen, even more vivid than mine when I was a wolf. I scooped her up for a kiss.
My beautiful baby girl. I had protected her already within an inch of my life. Every time the pack tried to come by, I’d given Reika to Thalia, and threatened my pack until they left us alone to bond with our baby. She was ours first and foremost. Soon, she would become a tearaway, a tiny tornado exploring the house, so I wanted to enjoy these quieter moments with her. Even Thalia could barely get me to part with Reika for a second.
She was everything I’d ever wanted. At the sound of footsteps, I walked over to Thalia and sat on the bed alongside her. She roused at the sound of the door creaking open.
Conall was the only person admitted into our room, and only then was it when he hadn’t had a drink. My pack could still be party boys, but as they started to call themselves aunties and uncles, they were taming their party lives.
“I finally made it past Lyna, selfish bast—”
“Language,” I warned him.
“Selfishwolfthat he is. Didn’t want to let me go first to wish the happy couple well. I mean, man, two weeks is a long ass—”
I shot another glare at him.
He sighed. “It’s a long time to keep us waiting to see her. She’s the newest pack member now.”
“Your language is the reason it’s been two weeks,” I countered. Then I handed Reika to Thalia to hold as she slowly woke up. Conall came over to hug me, slapping me on the back once.
“Congrats, man. She’s beautiful. If she’s anything like either of you, then we’ll have a handful to deal with.” He gave Thalia a knowing look, who only laughed softly. The two of them had been working to repair their lack of trust. Conall still talked sharply with her at times. She still glowered at him in response, using that wicked tongue of hers when she needed to fend for herself, but I’d let them fight it out as wolves during a hunt one time.
Thalia had returned, her prey between her teeth, and Conall had slunk after her, grumbling and snarling at her non-threateningly. They were ironing out their differences. As the two closest people in my life, I needed that.
Conall stayed long enough to present Thalia with flowers and gave a little wolf stuffed toy to Reika. He grinned at me. “For when she’s older. She’ll understand soon enough.”
Of course, we would raise her around the wolves. I wanted her to feel safe around my pack, not fear them. There would be risks involved but ultimately, the woods would be her home as well after she shifted for the first time.
More of the town started to come over, as if us letting Conall in had broken the order to stay away. Soon, the room was filled with flowers, baby blankets, and meals from neighbors.
When it was finally just the three of us again, Reika asleep in her bassinet at the side of our bed, I held Thalia close.
“I never thought we’d have this,” Thalia murmured, her hand on my chest as she leaned in to kiss me. “When I look back, I know neither of us were ready to accept the bond. I thought I was, but I know I was too young. We both were. But this, what we have now, what we’vecreatedfor ourselves, is all I dreamed about.
“When I was younger, I’d always be told about the big, strong alpha who would
protect me from anything. And now you have. You saved everyone, Fenrys.”
I knew she was discussing the day in the warehouse basement, fighting off, and killing Kato. Everything had been investigated quietly to avoid disturbing the town, but the scars remained. Both physically and mentally, they took time to heal from.
I turned my face into Thalia’s neck, licking the mating mark I’d given her the first time we’d had sex since I knew she was pregnant. My own was in the same place on the opposite side to hers.
Vanilla and apples would always smell like home to me now.
“The ones we didn’t kill in Kato’s pack could still be out there,” I murmured. There had been rumors of the pack’s scattered wolves regrouping in another town but nothing had been concrete enough to chase down. The lone wolf I’d seen that day while completing Thalia’s last trial was confirmed to be a scout for Kato to find out that she hadn’t made good on her deal. Her cooperation with me had been enough to report.
I believed her about what happened. It had taken me a while to fully forgive and process it but we were finally there. All I ever regretted now was that I hadn’t gotten to her sooner. But Kato’s pack had put my wife and child in danger that day and that was something I wouldn’t forgive.
