“Really?” Kayla furrowed her brows. “I didn’t know that.”
“It just happened this morning. She moved out and Vianna moved in.”
“Oh, that worked out nicely then.” Kayla commented as a pensive expression crossed her face. “Although, I hate to think of Fatima living alone with a newborn. This one isn’t even here yet, and I can already tell, I wouldn’t be able to do all this without Drovo.”
Kayla looked up at her mate with adoration in her eyes. She knew Drovo would be there for her no matter what. I too would prove to Fatima that I was here to stay.
“She won’t be alone.” I informed her and left the workshop. Now that I had that settled it was time to go hunt some wild boar.
Chapter 8
Fatima
That afternoon, I woke up feeling refreshed and cozy in the furs. I didn’t remember having so many blannkets in my bed. Then I realized I wasn’t in my bed. I’d fallen asleep at Zander’s house.
I sat up hoping to find the bossy shifter, but when I looked around, he was no where to be found. A knot formed in my throat and I struggled to push away the sadness creeping into my gut.
This was silly. Zander and I were just friends. He’d agreed to teach me to hunt that was all. There was no need to get emotional over the fact that he wasn’t here when I woke up.
I got up from his bed and was tiding up the blankets when I heard the door open. Zander walked in with sweat on his brow and blood on his hands.
“I apologize for taking as long as I did. I was hoping to get back sooner,” he commented as he strode to the basin and washed his hands with soap and water. He opened the door and tossed the water outside then refilled the basin with snow.
“Where did you go?” I asked as I tucked my hair behind my ear.
“Hunting.” He replied as he dried his hands on a towel.
“But the storage house is full, isn’t it? There’s no room for anything else.”
“Exactly. That’s why my kill is sitting outside on that worktable, and when I’m done it will be stored in my ice box outside.” Zander pointed out the window to a table not far from his house. It contained a large dead animal with tusks and course fur.
“I don’t understand. What are you going to do with it?” Why go hunting when there was no need for extra meat.
“I’m going to feed you, is what I’m going to do. That’s a wild boar.”
The breath left my lungs. He’d gone out hunting while I slept all so I could have bacon again? I didn’t know if it was the pregnancy hormones or something else entirely, but I suddenly had tears running down my face.
Zander rushed to my side and pulled me in close. “Don’t cry,” he spoke so lightly it was barely above a whisper. “I can fix many things, but I cannot fix your tears.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I whispered into his chest. “I’m supposed to learn to hunt so I can get the bacon myself.”
“I know,” he rubbed my back in a soothing motion. “I’m going to teach you to hunt, but I’m going to make sure you’re well fed too.”
“You don’t have to do that either,” I whispered between tears.
“I know. I want to.”
I want to. My heart squeezed at his words and hope filled my soul. Maybe I wasn’t as alone in this as I thought I was.Maybe he just wants to be close friends, a voice whispered in my head. That was equally as likely, and I couldn’t afford to hope forromance with a little one on the way. I could only rely on myself for the foreseeable future.
“Thank you, I really appreciate this,” I commented as I stepped away from the husky blue alien in front of me.
“It looks like dinner is about to be served,” I pointed at the window where a line of people were walking down the path toward the dining hall.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” I didn’t dare look at Zander’s face as I scurried out of his house like a scared mouse. If he looked hurt that I was leaving, it would break my heart. If he didn’t look bothered at all, that might shatter my heart entirely. I wanted Zander in a way I couldn’t deny, but I didn’t dare believe that he’d want me to.
I made my way to the meeting house which essentially served as our dining hall, and fell in line behind Vianna.
“Did you talk to him?” she whispered in my ear.
