Page 35 of The Wolf Slayer

His voice shook, and Niev could hear his angst and fear toward the future to come. His reaction mirrored her feelings so well, it scared her. She’d asked herself the same question over and over the past few days. Even though she tried to look strong in front of Blake, she couldn’t help but to feel lost.

“You both will learn to be parents together.” Christa took Blake’s hands and placed them in Niev’s. “Everything will be new and different. Your whole lives have changed. Especially for you both, but you’re both strong. You will be even stronger if you trust each other and grow as one.”

Her words gave Niev a strength that she hadn’t expected from a total stranger. Christa must have had this talk with every new parent. The way Christa spoke made Niev believe that if Blake and her worked as one, they would become good parents–no matter what.

Christa gave Niev a few more things to keep in mind and a list of foods to avoid before Blake and her left. They held hands as they walked back to the clearing following the path they’d walked earlier. Before they broke through the trees into the light of the sun, he stopped her.

“Thank you.”

She opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but he kept talking without giving her the chance to say a word.

“I wasn’t sure if you would want to keep the baby if he were to be a boy. I didn’t even know if I was ready to have a child at all. I was scared and I’m still terrified of the future. But what you said to Christa opened my eyes. Your unconditional love toward our unborn baby showed me that I’ll do whatever it takes for you and our child to keep you both safe and happy.”

“Even if it’s a boy?”

“Yes, I’ll love him and teach him. I’ll be by his side and guide him through everything.”

He bent down and kissed her. It was a deep kiss, full of love and appreciation. She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him closer, intensifying their kiss even more. His words lifted a heavy weight from her shoulders. Not knowing if he wanted the baby had been bearing heavy on her heart. Now that he had decided to be with her and the baby no matter what, she felt as if her future would be as bright as the sun.

He took her hand and pulled her toward the tree line where his bike waited for them. “Let’s meet my family.”

Asking For Forgiveness

Mayra, Blake’s mother, was waiting for them in front of the house. She spread her arms and gave Niev a warm, welcoming hug.

“How wonderful to finally meet you.” She gave Blake a kiss on his cheek and walked them both inside the house. “Niev, you look like you must be starving, food should be ready soon. Blake, your father is in the office. He would like to speak to you before we all sit down for lunch.”

Blake nodded and kissed Niev’s forehead. “I’ll just be in father’s office right here.” He pointed at a pair of big double doors to their right, next to the front door. “I’ll be right back if you need me.”

He seemed a little overprotective, but it also flattered her that he was so worried about her. She gave him a smile and pushed him toward the doors. “I’ll be fine. Go do what you need to do.”

He seemed hesitant but walked into the office.

Mayra gave her a nod toward the back of the house. “Would you like to join me in the living room?”

Following Mayra through to the hallway, Niev entered the living space. The house had the same wood walls as Blake’s cabin. They were decorated with beautiful nature paintings, some even showing large wolves.

Niev stopped in front of one large painting that showed three wolves, one of which looked like Blake. The other wolves looked similar to him. All three had dark black fur and the same broad shoulders. The only differences were the green eyes and a few gray fur patches on the one in the middle.

“Did you paint this?”

“Yes, it frees my mind,” Mayra explained, seemingly pleased that Niev liked her art.

“It’s beautiful.” Niev pointed to the wolf on the right. “He looks like Blake’s wolf.”

“Yes, that’s him. All three of my men to be exact.” She pointed at the wolf in the middle and then to the one on the left. “That’s Tanner and this is Seth.”

“They are all beautiful.” It was hard to take her eyes off the picture, but she turned around to Mayra and asked, “Can I help prepare anything for lunch?”

Mayra smiled a gorgeous smile, a smile that Blake had inherited from her. “No sweetheart, you should rest. Don’t overwork yourself.”

As Mayra prepared lunch and set the table, Niev looked around, admiring the house. The front door opened to a hallway that led past a set of big double doors to the right and stairs to the left. The hallway led to the living area in the back of the house. The kitchen was to the left, the living room to the right, and in between was the dining area with a long table. The furniture was more feminine than that of Blake’s home and the floor to ceiling glass sliding doors in the living and dining area flooded the house with natural sunlight, allowing Niev to see the tree with the treehouse that Blake had told her about.

The front door opened and closed again before Seth walked through the hallway toward the dining area.

“Seth, I thought you were patrolling for the day. Should I set the table for you?”

“No, I won’t stay long.” Turning to Niev, he asked. “Would you be willing to talk to me?”

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