“I’m sorry to ask you to keep it a secret from our parents, but I want to be there in person when they find out. Feel free to tell Becky,” I said.
“No sweat. I can be good for a week. I’ll make sure James keeps quiet as well. I’m so happy for you Amie, and for you as well Finlay.”
“Thank you. We are over the moon,” Finlay told him and placed a hand on my stomach.
“And the pack must be happy as well?” Elder asked. I giggled.
“They are. I’m being spoiled rotten by everyone,” I told him.
“As you should be,” Finlay added.
“True,” Elder agreed. We talked for a little while longer and hung up.
“Feeling better?” I asked Finlay.
“Yes. At least the likelihood of Alpha James walking away alive from the meeting has gone up,” he said. We stayed in the office and tried to get some paperwork done. When there was a knock on the door, Finlay asked them to come in with so much enthusiasm, I giggled. Matilda walked into the office with a big smile and a gift bag.
“I won’t take up much of your time. I just wanted to give you this,” she said and handed me the bag.
“Aunt Matilda, you didn’t need to get us something,” I objected.
“I know, but I wanted to.” I looked at Finlay. He was smiling and looking happy. I opened the bag and looked into it. I drew in a breath and reached for the item.
“Is this?” I asked.
“The blanket I knitted during the Game, yes. I was hoping I would get to give it to you sooner rather than later,” she said and patted my cheek. Then she patted Finlay’s hand. “You did good,” she told him.
“Thank you. It’s lovely. It will look fantastic in the nursery,” I said as I gently brushed my hand over the soft blanket. The pale green, blue and pink stripes with the cream border had my mind going to how I would set up the nursery. I placed the blanket on my desk and stood up to give Matilda a long hug. “I’m so happy we have you,” I told her. She laughed in a soft voice.
“I’m happy I have the two of you as my family as well. And soon there will be a little pup to add to it. I am happy to babysit whenever the two of you need some time for yourselves.”
“Thank you, aunt,” Finlay said.
“No need to thank me. Now I will leave you to your work.” She left and Finlay sighed heavily and poked the iPad with his finger. I knew he hated this part of being Alpha. It was necessary, but we had made good progress.
“I think I need a nap,” I told him.
“A nap?” he asked and looked up at me.
“Yeah. We didn’t get a full night's sleep and it has been a busy day. At dinner most of the pack will be there and we should make sure to stay and talk with everyone. So a nap sounds good,” I said.
“Then we go and take a nap,” he agreed and got up.
Chapter 84
Elder
Ihung up the call with my sister and Finlay with a big grin on my face. Amie was going to have a pup. The idea was both exhilarating and strange. I still remembered when she was a little pup. I wasn’t worried, Alpha Finlay was a good, strong mate. I knew he would keep both my sister and the pup safe and happy. I took a moment to let the news sink in and then I tried to school my face. If I walked around grinning like an idiot, my parents and Becky would know something was up. Becky most likely already knew as she would have felt the happiness through our bond. I had decided I would tell her if she asked about it. When I had calmed down, I walked the few feet from my office to James’. His door was open and I saw Carol sitting in one of the visitor chairs, talking with James. I smiled. Carol was a good, kind wolf. I liked her and so did the pack. She was a little timid, but after what she had been through in her old pack, it felt natural. James seemed to be genuinely smitten with her, and I did what I could to cheer him on. Both had a past which made them move slowly, which I thought was a good idea. For chosenmatings, it was always best if they took time to get to know each other. I knocked on the door frame and both looked at me.
“Sorry to disturb you, Alpha. I had something to talk to you about, but I can come back later,” I said. Carol got up from her chair.
“No, no. I will leave and let you get back to work,” she said. James nodded.
“I will come and pick you up and we can go to dinner together,” he said. She blushed and nodded before leaving. I closed the door behind her.
“Sorry, you could have told me to come back later,” I said to James.
“It’s fine. What did you need to talk about?”
