His beast was huge compared to the other wolves I’d witnessed, with thick dark fur, but he had my mate’s eyes. He was still my Riven. The baby kicked, as if our little one understood that this was their daddy.
“You are going to love watching him shift, my darling.” I cradled my belly as my mate’s wolf approached us. His ears perked up as I extended a handand patted his head. “You’re as handsome in your fur as you are standing on two legs.”
He pressed his muzzle into my palm, and I giggled at his cold wet nose. I scratched behind his ears, thinking how impossible this would have been months ago. Even now, it seemed like a fairytale some days.
The wolf pulled back and swiveled toward the forest.
“Go. Hunt.” I waved him off. “I'll be fine here by the fire.” I made a shooing motion. “Just come back to me.”
He bounded toward the forest and disappeared into the darkness with a howl that echoed across the lake.
"Yes, that's your papa.” I patted my bump. “I wonder if you’ll be like him.”
I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, a wet nose was nudging my shoulder.
“Have a good run?” I yawned.
He padded to where his clothes lay folded, and I perked up as he took his skin. I hoped I’d never get over the awe that shifters existed and that I was mated to one.
Now that he had returned, I dozed again until a strong movement, unlike the nudges I was used to, woke me. A big kick that was forceful enough to be visible through my sweater.
“Riven!” I grabbed his hand, placing it where I'd felt the movement. “Wait for it…” The baby kicked again, a little foot or elbow pressing against Riven's palm.
“They're trying to say hello.” I covered my mate’s hand with mine. “Maybe they sensed you shifting.”
“Hello to you too, little one.”
The baby kicked again, and I told him our baby was active like their alpha father.
“If someone had told me a year ago that I'd be camping by a mountain lake, pregnant with a half-shifter or shifter baby, watching my wolf mate run under the full moon... I'd have thought they were bonkers.”
“And now?”
“I can't imagine any other life.”
FOURTEEN
RIVEN
“Are you sure you want to go?” Indigo was struggling to find a comfortable position on the couch. He was eight months pregnant and still working, though I’d tried to convince him to stop.
“For the tenth time, yes.” He winced. “If I'm going to push a tiny shifter into the world, I want all the information I can get.” I didn't correct him. He understood that Dr. Allardi expected him to deliver via C-section because the baby was big. “Besides,” he continued and stopped wriggling, “I'm tired of getting conflicting advice from every pack member who sees me. A class should give us consistent information.”
He had a point. Despite being under the care of a doctor, we'd been bombarded with ancient wisdom from pack members about the delivery, and as the one carrying the baby, Indigo had experienced it more than me.
The monthly childbirth preparation class at the lodge was specifically designed for expectant parents,taught by Judy, an elder and midwife who’d assisted more births than anyone else in the pack. We should have attended one or more before this… but we hadn’t.
I helped my mate to his feet while checking my mental Before Baby Comes to-do list. The closer we got to the birth, the more my instincts insisted I make sure everything was ready. I'd already renovated a bedroom to become a nursery, built a crib from local pine, and stockpiled enough baby supplies to outfit triplets.
Triplets?My wolf loved babies but not three at once.
Don’t worry.
“You're doing it again.” Indigo's voice brought me back to the present.
“Doing what?”
“Hovering.” He patted my butt. “I can almost hear you going over your checklist.”
