“Tell the pack that you’re pregnant?”
It was as if the air had left the room, and I froze.
Did I imagine him saying that?
Lucian sniffed twice. “Did you think you could hide it from a Chitah? Shifters only pick it up in animal form, though not always. Usually in the later months. But you can’t disguise your changing chemistry from a Chitah—not without a boatload of perfume. And lately you haven’t been soaking in rose oil.”
I closed the laptop and gathered my thoughts, which were as scattered as flower petals caught in a tornado.
“You don’t need to be afraid, but you’ve been living in this house for seven months. Time’s running out. Exactly how far along are you?”
Facing him, I flicked a worried glance at the open doorway in the back.
“No one’s around,” he assured me while staring at the black ring on his finger. “Catcher knows. What I can’t figure out is why he thinks you need a watchdog when you’ve got Salem. He must have a screw loose.”
My stomach knotted, and just then, Lucian’s nose twitched as he raised his head.
“Someone’s got secrets,” he muttered.
“I plan on telling them.”
He hopped off the table. “Tak’s been going on and on about it being a sign from the spirit world that they’re the first one in the house to have a baby. I wonder what he’ll think aboutthissign. Anyhow, they sent me here to tell you dinner’s ready. You’re not dropping the bomb tonight, are you?”
I swallowed hard. “Do you think they’ll be upset?”
He shrugged. “It’s one thing to keep it a secret for a little while, but you’ve been lying this whole time. I can’t say how they’ll react. Even if they get over it, you still lied to the Packmaster. They take that shit seriously.”
Lucian was not only pragmatic but also blunt. Ifhewasn’t sure how they’d react, that left me doubtful.
“Maybe you should wait until after the wine is served,” he suggested before striding toward the door. “Wine has a way of loosening people up.”
“Yes, but Tak doesn’t drink.”
I had done my best to conceal the pregnancy. In the beginning, the morning sickness was awful and food didn’t always agree with me. Because of that, we chose the room across from the bathroom. No one seemed to notice my snacking and odd cravings, and I didn’t carry in an obvious way. Still, I always wore oversized, billowy tops.
After Lucian left, I ran my hands over my belly. Even though I was almost eight months, I hadn’t felt the baby move. In the first trimester, Salem assured me all was well. But now he wasn’t as confident.
Catcher’s barking snapped me out of my thoughts. He stared at me from the arched entryway, which connected to the back hall.
After a quick wag of his tail, he trotted toward me, then rested his head on my stomach and stared up. A whine lingered in his throat.
“He likes you,” Tak said, coming up behind him.
Catcher pivoted and growled.
Tak dipped his chin and threw off enough alpha energy that it skated across my skin and made my hair stand on end.
“He hasn’t been acting right.” Tak crossed the room and stood before me. “We discussed this a few months ago, but it’stime you shift and meet the pack. What if you had shifted in here alone and Catcher attacked your wolf?” He stroked Catcher’s big head while casting a critical eye at me. “We were all strangers in the beginning and needed time to adjust, but if you don’t let your wolf out to meet us, I can’t protect you or anyone else from what might happen. That reflects poorly on me. No one will feel safe joining my pack if I can’t protect my packmates from one another.”
“I know.”
Tak gestured for Catcher to leave, and the wolf obediently trotted out of the room. “Shift.”
I flicked my eyes up in worry. “Now? Here?”
“Your wolf has to meet me. If you have a crazy animal, we’ll deal with that. I’ve already got two in the house.”
“I can’t.”
