Thank God I had her—her unconditional support.
When I did a side-eye, Blaidd stood in the shadows, his gaze fixed on the screen.
???
I escaped as soon as all the monitoring was completed. It was a relief to know they were healthy—and that my body was coping well with the strain of pregnancy. The bloodwork would reveal more, but the doctor assured me it would be processed as a priority. I suppose everyone tripped over themselves to please Prothero.
Not you, Bouda snickered.
Yeah, not me, I smiled as I reached the last step.
Boxes, bags, and sealed plastic parcels were piled beside my door. I sifted through them, opening a few to find a variety of clothing, swimwear, books, and toiletries. I hadn’t asked for any of it. As much as I wanted to throw it all back in his face, the feel of soft fabric and the range of colours drew me in.
I was sick of wearing men’s clothing.
There was an entire box of new books—gardening, pregnancy, baby care, history, baby animals, Norse mythology. Inside one of the boxes, I found a bag filled with multiple packets of seeds.
My grandmother had taught me how to weed, germinate, and grow. How to return organic waste to feed the earth. Or, as it was called now—compost.
Would she even get a chance to meet my children?
I dropped the bag back into the box and went to my room, clutching the pregnancy book to my chest.
What would someone like him even know about family?
???
The morning sun shone through a crack in the curtain, and I stretched, stroking my belly. The way they’d suddenly popped out made sense now, and the steady growth since then was normal.
“Good morning,” I whispered to them.
Bouda lifted her head, and a soft purr began in my chest. It was the first time she’d made that sound, and I found it unexpectedly soothing.
We lay there in peace.
A family of four—perhaps five, if Fenrir could bitch-slap some humanity into his human.
I have a feeling he tries, Bouda said without missing a beat in her purring.
Possibly, but I won’t hold my breath.
He’d had stamina during the rut because I’d felt completely out of control during that period. The heat was brutal. I resented his scent because, willing or not, I gravitated toward it.
That’s due to the bite. We choose who we mate with—not the other way around, Bouda said.
“I don’t like it,” I whispered.
It didn’t soften me toward him, but it did make me crave sex from time to time. According to the book I was reading, it would only grow worse during the second trimester.
It would be better if he fucked off from the island—but then I thought about how fixated he’d been on the twins yesterday.
That wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
???
After changing into a pair of denims and a light, knitted cream top, I went downstairs and heard him in the kitchen. I couldn’t face him this morning, so I opened the front door and escaped.
Despite myself, I began noticing good spots to grow various plants and herbs in the extensive garden—patches with more sun, others tucked into shade.
