Page 28 of Nyte's Rejected Luna

“I didn’t find your cards, but I found this remote under your side of the bed. I believe you and Madilyn were the last ones to use it, two days ago.”

I giggled as I crawled up into the bed. “Oops, well, I guess you can watch your show recordings now.”

He clicked the button on the remote, the mounted TV screen coming to life. “You mean, WE get to watch the show. Don’t act like you don’t want to see who comes out as the best chef.”

I laughed, settling into the bed and curling up next to Nyte. “Okay, you’re right. Put it on.”

Chapter thirteen

Nyte

Iwatchedhersleep,her head nestled into the crook of my arm, a peaceful smile gracing her lips. Gone was the stress of her missing cards…at least for now, in her sleep. My gaze slowly moved from her content expression, rising to the hidden compartment below the mounted TV. She didn’t know it was there. If she did, it would have been one of the first places she looked before venturing out into the packhouse.

I cursed myself for not considering her wandering off to find them. They were a part of her just as much as my wolf was a part of me. It was a lapse in my judgment, but I couldn’t take it back now. Not yet. I couldn’t risk the cards revealing what I already knew.

She’s pregnant.

I knew it the moment it happened in the cave. It had been a high probability that it would happen with the full moon. Even if she weren’t a wolf herself, the effects of the moon still affected me. It had been why I held back and fought against her scent's call, but nothing stopped me once she beckoned me to give in to our desires. Even if she had no idea about the consequences, she was welcoming.

That night, I decided that if she got pregnant, I would need to hide the cards. I waited a week and a half for her scent to change before doing so. As soon as I smelled the change in her body, I took the cards and put them in the hidden compartment, knowing she couldn’t find them right away. The last thing I needed was for her to read in the cards about her condition and panic. She still wasn’t ready to know the truth about us, and a baby would only complicate her feelings even more.

I reached over her, gently stroking her flat belly with a smile. As complicated as the little pup was, I was happy to be a father. The secret made it hard because I wanted to share the bliss of our first child…to see the joy in her eyes as she saw the two pink lines of a test. However, in the state we were currently in, the pregnancy wouldn’t bring her the same happiness it had brought me. She wouldn’t know she was exactly where she was meant to be and where she belonged for the rest of her life.

She would see this baby as a complication between us. She wouldn’t believe me if I told her the truth about our bond. Even if she did, she would be pissed and try to reject me. No. I had to plan this out perfectly. It wouldn’t be long until she recognized the change in her body. Even human women notice the subtle changes in their behaviors and monthly cycles. As a seer, she would have a heightened intuition. That could be why she had already begun to search for her cards. She felt something off and knew they would give her the answers as to what was different.

I turned my body to her, pulling her closer to my chest and breathing in her ocean breeze scent, closing my eyes to dream of telling her the truth about everything and celebrating our future with her.

“Wake up,” Paige poked at my nose, a groan escaping my lips as the sunlight filtered through the window.

I usually kept the blackout curtains closed, allowing my bedroom to resemble a dark cave, easily hiding that I was on the second floor of the packhouse. However, Paige seemed to have gotten up and opened them, her finger prodding again at my nose as I squeezed my eyes tighter.

“Nyte, wake up. I want to see the rest of the packhouse. Either you give me a tour, or I’ll ask Madi to.”

It had my eyes popping open, a low growl rumbling in my chest at the thought of my pregnant mate walking around the packhouse without me. I still didn’t know exactly what had happened yesterday. There were only trace scents of a few pack members and Chase’s voice just before I opened the door to search for her. Aside from that, she hadn’t said much about what had or hadn’t happened while she had left the safety of our room.

“Why do you want to see the packhouse?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her suspiciously.

“Because you can’t keep me locked up in this room forever. And I still don’t know where my cards are. If I can move around the house, maybe I can hear them call out to me.”

I purposely averted my eyes from the hidden cubby in the wall, rolling out of the bed with another groan of protest. “Call out to you?” I asked, hiding my expression behind a yawn and stretch.

“Yeah, they’re connected to me. They call out when they have a message for someone or when they need to tell me something. Maybe if I can see more of the house, I will find them and whoever they are trying to lead me to.”

I looked back at her skeptically, trying to figure out how to tell her they wouldn’t be found outside of this room without revealing that I knew where they were. The fact they hadn’t revealed themselves, as she claimed they could do, was a relief. Maybe the cards agreed that she wasn’t quite ready to know everything.

“If you don’t want to do it, I have Madi’s number right here on my phone. I can call her right now. Just say the word.” She held up her cell phone, showing the contact card for Madilyn pulled up on the screen.

“Alright, alright,” I sighed, walking over to my dresser while stretching loudly. “Let me get dressed, but I doubt you’ll find anyone here needing or willing to have a reading from you.”

“That’s for the cards to decide.” I looked back at her, buttoning my jeans before pulling out a black tank top.

When I finished getting dressed, I reluctantly took her out into the hall, placing my hand on her lower back protectively. I sensed the attention of everyone in the hall turning to us: curious tilts of heads from a few who probably wondered where we would be going. After all, I only ever brought her out of our room when we were leaving the packhouse. They wouldn’t expect to watch her move about the packhouse as though she lived here permanently.

A couple of the elder she-wolves sniffed the air as we passed by, their eyes widening with hidden smiles at the familiar scent. They would be the only ones aside from myself to notice it. It was part of their job to help bring new life to the pack, and though Paige wasn’t a werewolf, they would still treat her as if she were while she birthed my child. Not because they would finally accept her but because the pup was pack no matter what.

I slowly raised my finger to my lips as Paige looked away, the elders nodding their understanding to keep quiet about the news. It was our news to share, and I wouldn’t share it with anyone until Paige knew herself. Only then would I tell Alpha Alexander, and only after she could share the news with her friends and family. I couldn’t control the elder she-wolves whose noses were trained to notice the scent of an expecting mother, but I could at least control their silence from the rest of the pack.

I lead Paige towards the common room, several children now occupying the space with bowls of cereal and morning cartoons playing on the TV. One little boy, in particular, turned to us, smiling and waving at Paige. I frowned when she waved back to the boy. He was Beta Jose’s nephew, Diego. He was often found in this room, his mother and father working outside the pack, and his uncle kept busy with the pack's business.

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