“I felt a kick,” he rumbled. “Put your hand here, Theo.”
He took the other man’s hand and placed it on my left side, just as I saw a visible ripple on the right side.
“Our baby is playing tricks on us already,” Alexei laughed, his blue eyes gleaming as he looked up at me.
The movement felt like waves in my belly, our baby flip-flopping in the womb, now and again kicking out with surprising power as my Alphas chased the feeling.
“Can you believe it?” the Duke crowed. “Oh, you’re carrying so well. So beautifully!”
Theo traced the outline of one tiny hand.
“Listen to your daddies,” he mock-lectured. “Be gentle on your mommy’s bladder now.”
We lounged in bed all morning, and then around lunch Theo suggested we go down to the ducal kitchens for lunch.
But as I walked out into the kitchen, my old Pack walked in too, and they werenothappy to see me.
“What the hell?” Edgard barked, his jaw dropping open. “What the fuck happened to you?”
In an instant, Theo was in his face.
“Lower your fucking voice when you talk to her!”
“You’repregnant?” Penn cried, his voice shrill, and there were two spots of color on his cheeks. “How dare you have sex in our manor, you little slut?”
Theo grabbed him around the throat, his dominating Alpha bark shaking the stone walls.
“You’re lucky I don’t fucking tear your tongue out for that, old man!”
He dragged the other Alpha to the first floor window and chucked him out of it.
“And don’t let me see your sad carcass again!”
“How–” Brand gasped, his eyes bugging out of his head.
“I think you should know how it works,” I said dryly. “After all, it’s something you begged me to do many times.”
“Begged you for sex–why–I thought–”
“You thought of me as nothing but an incubator for your babies,” I said angrily, as Theo shoved Brand back into the fridge. “You never cared about me as a person.”
“Jessabella, whose–baby is that?” Brand asked eagerly, trying to sidestep around my protector.
Alexei had his arms outstretched to keep my former Pack away, but their faces were slack-jawed with shock, glistening with envy.
“You think this isyourbaby?” I shot at him. “That I somehow hid my massive belly for weeks? No. It’s not. This pregnancy has nothing to do with you.”
“Well–we just never imagined–who in the world hasimpregnatedyou–”
All of a sudden, I felt Alexei’s strong arm slip around my waist, and he was vibrating with fury.
“That another Pack would want her,badly?” Well, we do. I’m the one who impregnated her. Theo and I are the ones who filled her with seed. She belongs to Theo and me now. And now she has a Pack who would never give her up for anything. Put somegoddamnrespect on your new Duchess’ name when you talk to her.”
All the blood had drained from Edgar’s face and he just stood there, gaping, his mouth drooping open like a fish.
“And how fucking dare you talk aboutyour manor? In fact, you aren’t necessary at Koval Manor anymore. I don’t need estate guardians. I’m 25. Of age. You and your Pack have ten minutes to get your stuff and get thehelloff my property.”
Alexei punctuated this with twisting Edgar brutally by the collar and shoving him down the hallway.
