“We are solidifying the treaty through a blood bond. If we have a daughter, she is to be betrothed to their son, who is their only child. It will be a unity of the two species.” Hunter looked at his hands and then at his father. He was surprised to see his father nodding his head in agreement.
“For a treaty of that magnitude to last, you need a strong bond. I know it was a tough decision, but joining your children together will be for the greater good of the two species. Trust me … I do understand.” Asher thought about Reiya and how painful it would be to promise her life to another. But Hunter also had to think about all the werewolves. He was their king, and as such, he had to bear a heavy burden. One that would come with sacrifice on his family’s part.
“Freja and I will leave the ultimate decision to our daughter, if we ever have one. It’ll be her choice, since it is her burden to bear.” Hunter would let his daughter know the stakes, but it would be her decision to accept it or not.
“That’s the best you can do, son. You’ve done well. I’m proud of you.” Asher smiled at his son, then looked upward and slowly stood up. “We can go in now.” Asher had barely finished the sentence and Chasen was sprinting up the stairs.
“Someone is overanxious, huh?” Grayson shook his head laughing as they followed him up the stairs.
Chasen flung the door to their room open. Jin was still sitting on the bed, and his mother was grabbing more things out of her bag.
“I thought the examination was over. What are you doing now? Is everything alright? How bad is it?” Chasen let a barrage of questions spew from his mouth.
“Will you relax already? My goodness, son. You’re worse than your father.” Lita shook her head with a smile.
“Hey, I heard that.” Asher said as they came into the room.
Hunter looked at Freja, who stood up from the bed. She smiled at him and walked over to his side, while Chasen sat next to Jin, his gaze flipping between her and his mother.
“Umm …” Jin said quietly. She gnawed on her bottom lip as she looked into Chasen’s brown eyes.
Chasen wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his chest. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Is everything okay? Why were you getting dizzy?”
“Well, the poor dear was exhausted. You really shouldn’t push your mate so much.” Lita shook her head and clicked her tongue in agitation.
“Honestly, I was fine until today. I guess all the wear finally caught up to me,” Jin said quietly.
“You’re going to have to take better care of yourself in the future.” Lita started hooking her machine up and then looked at Jin. “Are you ready?”
“Ready for what?” Chasen asked nervously. Lita’s eyes flashed to Jin and she nodded, motioning for the girl to continue.
“Chasen,” Jin whispered out. She watched his nervous eyes rest on hers and she offered him a small smile. “I’m pregnant.”
Chasen’s eyes widened. “Wait. You’re pregnant? You have a baby in there? Our baby?! I’m going to be a daddy?” Chasen wrapped his arms around Jin, then looked at Hunter and his dad with teary eyes and the goofiest grin on his face.
“Congratulations, son.” Asher smiled widely. “Kids are the greatest. No matter how much they make you worry.”
“I’ll be the favorite uncle, just don’t tell Brody.” Hunter winked at Chasen. “Congratulations. I know you’ve always wanted this. I’m so happy for you.”
“Eeek, I’m so excited! Let’s hear my grandbaby’s heartbeat!” Lita squealed.
“Or heartbeats,” Grayson said with a wink, and Asher chuckled, nodding his head.
“Oh shush. Don’t scare her.” Lita scolded the two men. She brought her wand over. “Just look at the screen in front of you. Everything should show up there.” Lita lifted Jin’s shirt over her stomach and began to search for the heartbeat. Soon, an ocean sound came over the speakers, followed by a cute ba dump ba dump ba dump.
Lita looked up with watery eyes. “That’s your baby, Chasen.”
Chasen stared at the screen with glossy eyes. He leaned his head onto Jin’s and frowned. “I put you through too much this past week. You should have been resting. I haven’t done a good job taking care of you.”
“Chasen, hush!” Jin scolded him. “I would have been more stressed out if I’d been left behind. And I’m fine. Your mother said I’m perfectly fine. I was just tired. My body is adjusting to all the changes, and I got a bit overwhelmed. That’s it.” Jin tilted her head up to him and he pressed his lips against hers, smiling.
“I love you, Jin.” Chasen said quietly.
Lita grabbed her things and stuffed them in her bag. She didn’t need to say anything. Everyone else was already making their way out of the room. They were going to give the couple a private moment with their news.
Lita shut the door behind her and followed everyone down the stairs. “Freja, do I need to give you an examination too, while I’m at it?” Lita asked with a smirk.
Freja held up her hands and shook her head. “No, no need. And I’d like to keep it that way for now. I want to be front and center during the demon war. It is after all what I’ve been doing for most of my life.”
