Page 209 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
I left the bed to wipe my face, and when I came back, Bryn was still awake. I climbed into bed next to her, and her body curved into mine. I wrapped my arms around her.
“You’re going to tell your mom about our baby tomorrow?” she asked.
“That’s the plan.” I sighed. “I’m a little nervous.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I know she’ll be happy, but I guess it’s just the anticipation of talking to her about it.” I shook my head. "I don’t know.”
Bryn patted my arm. “It’ll be okay.”
“Yeah, I know. Maybe I’m just tired.”
She yawned and snuggled closer. “Let me know how it goes, okay?”
“Of course.” I kissed the top of her head. “Sweet dreams.”
She laughed a little, but within seconds, she was asleep. I closed my eyes and tried to empty my mind to let my exhaustion take over.
The next morning, I gave Bryn a kiss on her forehead before I left. Heading out into King territory at night wasn’t something I often did. I was always on alert when out and about in what had always been enemy territory. Maybe that was why I felt a little nervous about announcing to Mom that Bryn was pregnant.
I was proud of Bryn, proud and unbelievably happy that I was going to be a father in a matter of months. Still, the weight of the news was heavier than the logs I’d carried earlier that day as part of my training. My mother would also want to hear about my trip back home, which I wasn’t looking forward to rehashing.
When I got to Mom’s cabin, I took a deep breath, exhaled, and walked inside. She was in the living room, snacking on some bacon she’d crisped up on the stove. A quick sniff told me her cup contained lemon ginger tea.
“There’s my son,” she said. “Look at you, coming to see me the dayafterI requested it.”
I chuckled and eased into the seat across from her. “You know I like to be punctual.”
“Mmhm.” She sipped her drink. “So, I wanted to talk to you about the council. Dom said you were meeting them.”
I let out a deep sigh and pushed a hand through my hair, wishing I was drinking something that would burn on the way down. For the third time, I went through the council’s demands, and for the third time, I felt a seething frustration rise in my chest.
“Dammit,” she said when I finished speaking. “I wish I could say I was surprised. The five of them have done so much good for the Wargs, and I would never take that from them, but those fools are too stuck in the old brutalist way of doing things. Not tomention,” she added with a scowl, “they assume they can control you the way they were able to control Peter.”
“Fuck that.”
“So, what are you going to do about them?”
“My plan right now is to take things slow. Bryn had a pretty encouraging meeting with the Kings’ council, and with the reconstruction projects, we’re getting in the pack’s good graces. I think I’ll have some real support after the challenge—whatever that challenge turns out to be.”
“Mm,” she hummed, considering my words. “I know we all hate biding our time, but I think you’re right—that’s the best way to handle things right now. I can’t believe the council is dragging their feet on this. I guess that’s bureaucracy for you. What’s the plan for the challenge? Have you started training?”
“I have. And I’ve got Dom keeping an eye on my competition. We know of two threats, but they won’t be impossible to beat.”
“That’s good to hear. Is there anything else to report?”
Now was as good a time as any to tell her about the baby, but after talking to her about the alpha challenge, I wasn’t sure why I’d been so nervous before. Mom would be over the moon with joy.
“Yes, actually,” I said. “Bryn’s pregnant.”
She gasped, hopped to her feet, and rushed to embrace me. I hugged her and spun her around before setting her back down.
“Ah, my boy, my boy!” she exclaimed, pulling back to take my face in her hands. “Going to be a father already!”
I couldn’t keep my grin from spreading ear to ear.
“You met Bryn only a couple of months ago, and already you’re giving me grandbabies,” she teased. “You certainly didn’t waste any time.”
