18
Felix
The cravings finally kicked in.
I thought I’d been safe from them all pregnancy--or at least, being too busy with unfortunate food aversions to notice anything else--but it happened in the end. My current craving was mousse cake, which I normally hated due to the texture, but I eventually caved and begged Elijah to get me some the next time he went out for his daily walk with River.
He, of course, immediately left to fulfill my wish.
Dating a blind man was a learning process in many ways. It took a lot of effort on my part not to immediately jump to help him in things he didn’t need help with, but like most things, it got easier with time. As our love bloomed, things became more natural between us. I learned what things Elijah appreciated my help with, and what he didn’t. I realized quickly that his daily walks with River were one thing he enjoyed in solitude.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come and help carry stuff?” I asked while still in bed. Elijah had jumped out of bed and dressed as soon as I admitted my mousse cake craving to him.
“No,” he said. “You stay here and relax. It’s your day off, remember?”
“But I like spending time with you.”
He smiled patiently. “And I like exercising my freedom.”
“You’re right,” I said with a sigh. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be annoying. I know you can do things on your own.”
Elijah came over to kiss me on the forehead. “I know, love. Just let me take care of you, all right? I’m your alpha. It’s my responsibility to protect you and feed you and all that good stuff.”
“You are. My big, strong alpha.”
In the corner of the room, River huffed, like he was impatient to get going and we were wasting his time by being mushy.
“I’ll see you soon,” Elijah promised with one last kiss to my forehead. “And I’ll bring back the biggest, fattest mousse cake they have at the bakery.”
“It better be chocolate.”
He laughed. “It will be.”
Elijah hooked River up to his harness, and off they went.
I sighed and slumped deeper in bed. I felt like a pillow princess, having my every need catered to like this. Growing up poor and having to fend for myself at times, it wasn’t anything I’d experienced before, but it was definitely something I could get used to--especially with an alpha as hot as my mate doing the catering.
We didn’t have a TV in the bedroom, so I pulled out my phone and lazily scrolled to a streaming service to catch up on my shows. Of course, with all the options available, it was impossible to find something to watch. The show at the top of the carousel--Real Omegas, Real Riches, Real Babies--was about wealthy omegas being pregnant for the first time.
I raised a brow.Except for the rich part,I guess the algorithm knows me a bit too well.
I clicked it and mindlessly began to watch. It was a mockumentary-style reality TV show, so it was easy to zone out and watch without paying too much attention to the intricacies of their lives.
Unlike me, all the omegas were obviously born into wealthy families. They all apparently lived in one big mansion for the duration of the show, and occasionally their alpha mates would appear on camera. One omega was huge--pregnant with twins, from what I gathered. Another was always crying and complaining about the pain in his lower back, while a different omega shoveled every last thing in the fridge into his mouth in the background.
It was all very dramatic and over-the-top. I had to laugh at some points and wonder if they were playing it up for the camera, or if they reallydidact like that.
My hands drifted to my belly, which had begun to swell in earnest. Though I was halfway through my pregnancy, it seemed like just yesterday I found out about my baby’s existence because I’d spent so long denying the truth.
It wasn’t really a denial,I told myself,I just didn’t know any better.
The thought made me sit upright with a bittersweet smile. Elijah had taught me to cast away my doubts and believe in myself. No longer would I live in the shadow of Larry’s words. I spent so long trusting his lies that it was a breath of fresh air to easily be able to tell myself they just weren’t true.
The corners of my lips twitched into a smug line. I wondered what he would think if he saw me now--happily pregnant by another man. Abetterman than he ever was.
A strange noise like a quiet metallic jiggling jolted me out of my thoughts. I paused my show and strained to listen for it again, but I didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. Furrowing my brow, I unpaused the show and let it drone on again.
The noise happened again, but this time it ended with a sharpclack-- - and the familiar creak of the front door opening.
