I buried my face in his fur, letting the tears drip down my cheeks. They were happy tears,but also a few sad ones. The battle might be over, but we had lost too many. I had lost too many. Ben and Derek. My … mother. I had made my peace with the Red Queen, which actually made it so much harder now. She was gone. But at least she wasn’t trapped in the mecca. Thankfully, Luca had made no difference to the energy of the stones. I checked regularly, and he was nothing more than a ghost trapped in a purple world.
After I pulled myself together, wiped away the tears, I stood and lovingly stroked Finn. “Let’s go celebrate,” I said to him.
I didn’t realize until I was down the stairs and halfway across the huge landscaped lawn that I was still holding the stick in my hand. I also realized something else.
I think Kade might already suspect.
Finn paused and looked up at me.
He mentioned last night that my scent was slightly different.
I chuckled. Finn tilted his huge head, leaning in closer and pressing his nose to my stomach.It’s subtle,he said after a few beats,but there is a change.
“Ari!” Blaine’s call distracted me and I turned to wave. He was standing near the huge white silk party tent, his long arms wrapped around Bianca. Seeing my old friend so happy, in love, settled … it was another perfect piece in our puzzle. They had just bought a house down the road from the Staten Island estate, and the way they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, my babies were soon going to have some “cousins” to add to their pack.
I hurried, needing to tell Kade and Winnie our good news. Finn remained close behind but still gave me some space. I found my loves together, wrestling in the grass. Winnie was a competitive little thing, and even though Kade let her win, he still had to keep his wits about him. She was not only competitive, but hugely sneaky.
“Hey there, birthday girl,” I sang as I closed in on them.
She let out a little shriek and jumped up to throw herself into my arms. “This is the best birthday ever. Thank you! Thank you!”
I hugged her so tightly I was afraid her little ribs would crack, but I couldn’t help myself. Kade also jumped to his feet. A dozen feet away, Kian was play-wrestling with his son, while Shelley looked on at her two boys with a combination of love and exasperation.
Keeping Winnie in my arms, I tried to find where the test went. It had been knocked out of my hands when I caught the little wolf. Kade noticed what I was doing, and before I could say anything, reached down and snagged the white stick up.
He looked at it for a second, a very long second, and then those swirling bronze eyes lifted to stare at me. The intensity of that look, it knocked all air from me. “Is this … are we…?” He seemed unable to finish a sentence, so I took pity on him.
“We’re pregnant.” My words were low, soft, meant only for Winnie and Kade’s ears. This was a private moment. Our moment.
Before I could suck in another breath, his hands were on my cheeks, his lips crashing into mine. All rational thought disappeared, and I forgot everything in the world except the taste and scent of my mate.
“I’m going to be a big sister?” Those whispered words finally broke through my Kade haze.
Winnie sounded so happy, her excitement spilling over in one rushed sentence. I was still holding her. Kade wrapped his arms around us both, and we turned to her. “Yes, sweetheart, you’re going to be a big sister.” I kissed her cheek, and she sobbed a few times, even though she had the hugest smile I’d ever seen on her face.
“I’m so happy.” She sobbed some more.
Kade let out a chuckle, and even his eyes looked a little shiny. “I love you both so much,” he said with a fierce intensity. “I promise I willprotect and love you three until the end of my days.”
Gods he was perfect. I hadn’t been completely sure what his reaction would be to this news, but the absolute love and happiness he was exuding told me everything. He was already an amazing father, and he would be for every single child we added to our family.
“Let’s go celebrate,” I whispered to them both. “Let’s keep the baby a secret for a little longer,” I added to Winnie. “Today is your birthday. This is all for you, my little one.”
She kissed me on the cheek, wiggling down. “I’m going to get some cake.” She was already moving toward the party food. Violet had the huge cake set up at center stage.
As soon as she was gone, Kade swept me up in his arms and he was kissing me again. As he pulled away, I said, “You have to stop carrying me around, love.”
“Better get used to it.” His voice was husky. “For the next nine months, I am not letting you lift a finger.” There were slivers of worry creeping into his words, and I understood. Shifter pregnancies were dangerous. The fetus could shift, and that could cause massive blood loss. It was hard to carry a shifter pup to term, but I wasn’t too worried. I had all of my magic to help with that.
I patted Kade on the shoulder and he reluctantly let me down. “I’m fine, mate. You don’t need to stress over anything. Maybe when I’m huge and waddling I’ll let you do some of the heavy lifting. Until then, I am perfectly capable.”
He dropped his forehead onto mine. “Thank you for making me the luckiest bear in the world. Thank you for my life.”
“I love you, Kade.” I didn’t even have the words to really express how much he meant to me.
I feel the same way. We have eternity to find those words.
He was right, and I planned on telling and showing him every single day.
