“Calm down,” Kai told me firmly and put his Alpha power into the words. My mist stopped immediately and I took a deep breath.

Emma reached for my hand. “Aurora, you don’t understand. You’re not a mother. You don’t get it. I have this life inside of me. This helpless thing that depends on me for survival. I need to make plans just in case. If you don’t agree, I’ll choose Diya and Trent.”

My heart crushed. “Of course, I agree.” I dropped to my knees and hugged her.

Emma nodded. “Going into labor, I need to know that everything is set up.”

Kai laid the papers down on the coffee table and pulled a pen from his back pocket, signing his name, then he handed it to me. My mate was an Alpha but he was different with me. He never pushed me or threatened me, but the look he gave me now sent chills up my arms.

‘She won’t die,’ I told him.

‘Sign it, now,’ he commanded and gave me a look that scared me. I took the pen and signed my name. Emma needed me to do this, so I would, but my best friend wasn’t going anywhere.

Emma sighed in relief and I squeezed her hand. “You’re best friend and birthing partner is a badass witch with healing powers. Don’t forget that,” I told her. You better believe that if anything went wrong I was calling on every power I had to help her.

She smiled and I saw that a weight had lifted off of her. She must have been carrying this a while.

Kai rubbed her belly. “Emma, don’t worry. This baby will be well taken care of and loved, no matter what. She will know how courageous her father was and how loving her mother is and I will make sure she has a long and happy life.”

She looked more at peace. “That’s what I wanted to hear.” She lay back and relaxed on the couch. “So, you think it’s a girl?” she asked Kai. She was keeping the sex a surprise, even from herself.

Kai smiled. “I do, I sense it.”

“It’s a boy,” I told them both, rolling my eyes.

I didn’t sense it but I could totally imagine a feisty boy with red hair and green eyes.

Emma laughed. “I think it’s a boy, too. Devon wanted a girl. We will see.”

She closed her eyes then, looking utterly exhausted. I kissed her cheek and went back to the nursery. Diya and I had set everything up, but I wanted to add one more thing. I pulled a small wooden wolf carving from my pocket. It was a protection charm, from Nahuel, my shaman spirit guide who was also my brother in a past life. He had been trying to help us find Layla, too, with no success. I set the polished wood figurine on the white dresser and looked around. Baby stuff was cute. I told Kai I wanted to wait five years and then after two babies I would let the witches do a spell on me to make me infertile. That way, the vampires and RAIDOS would leave me alone. I held a tiny white onesie and smiled. Who knows, maybe we would only wait a year.

Kai came up behind me and patted my belly. “I heard that thought,” he told me.

I spun around and shook an accusatory finger at him. “Hey! Privacy please.” I tapped my head.

He smiled and looked around the nursery and then at my belly. “I’m ready when you are.”

I rolled my eyes and walked past him. “Good to know.”

Old Friend

I wanted to stop by Safe Haven and see how all the women were doing, but I knew Kai wouldn’t allow me to leave the mountain. Our wolves were working full-time security detail protecting Safe Haven and running check points all along the mountain, as well as trying to hold down their day jobs and fight alongside the militias. The 600-strong militia that had aligned with us was helping, but Kai wanted to make sure the workload was equal. I decided to spend the rest of the day hanging around with Emma and the girls. As it was starting to get dark, I said my goodbyes and ran home to do some quick gardening before the light was completely gone. I had planted some veggies and I needed to water them daily. I was becoming aware of how domesticated I had become. Gardening, cooking, and I had a cat. Next would be knitting at this rate.

I was hunched over a strawberry bush when Kai came out the front door and started stretching, getting ready for a run. He was inspecting some cuts on his arms.

“That damn cat! She’s psycho,” he exclaimed.

I stifled a laugh. Luna was gifted to me by Gretchen, my healing witch mentor. She was white, tiny, and utterly harmless. She also hated werewolves and only liked me because I smelled of witch.

“Aww, she scratch you again?” I asked in a baby voice. Kai had originally locked her in one bedroom, but after a couple weeks of my begging, he allowed me to let her roam the house free.

Kai gave me a glare. “She was hiding in a drawer in my filing cabinet. Took five years off of my life!” he exclaimed.

I busted up laughing. “Breaking news! Tiny white kitten gives big, bad Alpha a heart attack.”

Kai grinned, flashing his bright white teeth and dimples and looked me up and down. I was wearing cut-off jean shorts, rain boots, and gardening gloves. The sun was setting and my long blonde hair fell halfway down my back.

Kai sighed. ‘It’s hard to concentrate on anything when you’re wearing those tiny shorts.’

I grinned and bent over to grab the watering can, giving him full view of my rear. Hearing his growl made me laugh.

‘Have a nice run,’ I told him.

‘I will. Get nice and dirty so we can shower later,’ he told me and winked.

I smiled again. Married life suited us. I heard the snapping of twigs as Kai jogged off into the woods.