“Fucking. Amazing.”
“Was it worth holding off?”
“...Yes.”
He laughed as he lay beside me and brushed the sweat-damp hairs out of my forehead. “I told you.”
“Fuck,” I groaned again. The aftershocks of the orgasm still pulsed through me, making me twitch. “You were so evil, but it was worth it. I felt like I was going to pass out.”
Noro kissed my cheek. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t.”
But maybe I spoke too soon. As I said it, I felt lightheaded. I saw Noro’s expression change into one of concern.
“Matheson?” he asked.
“I…”
My vision spun and I felt dizzy, even though I was laying down. I recalled this feeling--I’d felt it before.
Oh, not this shit again.
And then I passed out.
Chapter 15
I dreamed of wolves.
A blur of white, black and red, their big furry bodies streaming up the mountainside. I knew them now, I realized. It was my mates: Colton, the white wolf; Ramsay, the reddish-brown, and Eric, the black wolf. Affection tightened my chest.
I miss you all so, so much. Please hurry...
Determination shone in their eyes. They only had one thing on their minds. They were coming for--
“Matheson!”
My eyes shot open. The wolves were gone, and as I blinked, the afterimage disappeared. I was back in the gryphon’s keep. Back in that overly grand bedroom. Daylight spilled through the windows. Something vague nagged at me, an annoying feeling that wouldn’t go away.
Noro wasn’t here, but I realized Bastian was hovering over me, looking… scared?
“What?” I asked, my voice cracking. “What’s wrong?”
I tried to sit up in bed, but found that my body felt different. Almost heavier somehow.
“M-Matheson, don’t panic, all right?” Bastian said, sounding more panicked than I was. “I’m sure this is just--some kind ofwolfthing, and it’ll pass, and you’ll be just fine!”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, furrowing my brow.
His wide eyes flickered back and forth between my face and my lower body. I followed his gaze.
Oh.
I saw why Bastian was freaking out.
My belly was big. Noticeably bigger than the night before.Swollen.When my belly had been nearly flat before, now I was visibly carrying a child. It was like my pregnancy had jumped ahead a few months, which wasimpossible.
My jaw fell open and I would’ve screamed if I hadn’t suddenly lost my voice. I raised my hands shakily, touching my belly with it, making sure this wasn’t some trick. But it was real. I felt my own body beneath my hands. It wasn’t a spell or a prank. It was definitely real.
“Okay,” I said quietly when my voice returned. “Okay. This is happening.”
