by Emma Knox
I parked in the drive way, leaving enough space for him to park his own car, then he hurried over to help me bring in the groceries to the kitchen.
“Did you manage to get the information we need?” I asked as we worked.
Riley hummed. “I found quite a bit, but I can't help but think the info is incomplete. The file I found it all in seemed like it was missing a few pages.”
“Is it something we’re not allowed to know maybe?” I wondered.
When we had everything in the kitchen, Riley moved to stand by the island as I put everything away.
“I don’t think so,” Riley said with a shake of his head. “If it was confidential or something, then I wouldn’t have even been allowed to touch those documents. More likely the pages really are missing. I could search for the original files, but I need special permission to access those, and it’s still pending. We won’t know by tomorrow, but I figured if we can look over what we have so far, then we can just finalize once we get the full documents.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
I moved to the living room and waited while Riley came back with the files he’d managed to acquire. I had my own part done as well, bringing out some documents from my back pack and sitting down on the couch. Riley walked in, and we compared notes. We needed to write a full report on our research findings, and we were more than half way done. We’d been on this project for the past week already, and it was also the first huge project I was given. If I could complete it well, it could only mean good things for me in the future.
Also, I was lucky I got myself paired up with Riley. He knew about my lack of experience, and didn’t mind guiding me where he thought I needed it, and he was never impatient with me. Actually, I was meant to be more like his helper in this project rather than having such a big part in it, but Riley thought it would be good for me to build up experience.
I compiled the data and crosschecked what I had to his, as he had his computer on the table finished up another section of the report.
“Only a little bit left,” Riley said, grinning. “Then we’re done. Will you be taking some time off after this, or will you ask for another project?”
I sighed, rubbing my stomach that felt a bit uneasy. “I’m not sure? Now that I’m doing it, I kinda like working, but at the same time, I’m learning just how tiring it can be.”
Riley just chuckled at me.
I was seated on the floor in front of the table to be closer to the documents, and once I was done with my task, I got up, thinking about starting up lunch. There was probably still some time before lunch, but I was starting to get hungry again.
At least, that was what I thought, until I went to stand and almost dropped back down because I suddenly felt dizzy. I managed to stay standing, pressing down on the table with my hands to keep myself up. The typing immediately stopped.
“Dominick? Are you okay?”
Riley’s voice sounded so far away, though he was sitting right beside me. I had this faint ringing in my ear, and suddenly, a bout of nausea almost knocked me back down. I took a deep breath and swallowed a few times, but it wasn’t going down. Instead, I was growing increasingly nauseated, and I pushed away from the table, rushing for the downstairs bathroom.
I made it inside and dropped on my knees in front of the toilet bowl, just in time to vomit everything in my stomach into the bowl. I was pretty sure most of my breakfast just went out of my mouth, then after a few dry heaves, I felt well enough to move away. With trembling hands, I flushed the toilet, and then crawled over to the sink to wash my hand and wipe my mouth. I didn’t try to stand, because I didn’t think my legs could hold me up.
The thought had been going through my mind, but it wasn’t conclusive, so I’d tried not to say the words, even to myself.
Right then, though, I had to admit to myself that I was probably pregnant, and needed to get a test.
Chapter 10
John
I jumped in my car to drive home, for once not feeling too exhausted at the end of work because half the troops were away on some exercise that had nothing to do with me, which meant I only had to do half the work I usually did. I was even a bit early, and I could make it home long before dinner. I could talk Dominick into sitting in the hot tub with me again…
How is he doing?
My thoughts immediately moved to my little mate. Something about him had changed, though I wasn’t sure what. I didn’t want to alarm him by asking, either, and it had been the most apparent to me last night.
Dominick had been…wild in bed. It wasn’t something I was complaining about. Last night had been amazing, with a bit of knot play worked in and Dominick actually beating me in stamina. None of that was necessarily a bad thing. But, I had caught something that confused me, and I spent a long time while Dominick was asleep trying to figure out what it was. And then, I got it.
His scent had changed.
Now, this in itself wasn’t so alarming a thing. An Omega’s scent can change subtly for different reasons. Like I knew his scent had become different since he moved in with me, some of my scent mixing up with his, as well as the scent of the new environment. I had expected it, and it didn’t deviate much.
This was different, however.
I had been restless yesterday. Actually, if I had to be honest, I had been restless for a few days, and it had everything to do with the Alpha shifter side of me. At one point, I’d wondered if shifting and running around would make me feel better, but just the thought had brought so much anxiety with it. And all that anxiety was pointed right at Dominick.
So, it took me a while, but I finally figured it out. The reason I was so restless, was because the Alpha side of me was worried about my Omega.
Ever since a few days ago, leaving bed in the early morning had become difficult. Dominick usually slept until late in the morning, while I usually woke up before the sun rose on most days. It was my usual routine, and even after my week off from work where I’d gotten a bit lazy so I could accompany my mate, I got right back into it seamlessly. At least, until a few days ago.
The first clue that something had changed, was Dominick suddenly being more affectionate. I didn’t just mean while love making. Whenever I appeared home, he came to greet me at the door; when I cooked, he would press up against my back; when we went to bed and did nothing but sleep, he waited for me, then snuggled up against my chest. I didn’t mind this behavior, and at first, I’d thought it was nothing, but clearly my reluctance to leave was because my instincts caught something that my mind hadn't figured out yet.
Whatever it is, maybe Dominick and I need to have a talk? If it’s something bad, I need to get him looked at…
I had thought of going to my pack to ask for help. I was out of my depth, and I would never forgive myself if something happened to Dominick because I couldn’t meet his needs like I was supposed to. I hadn't figured out if I was going to or not, because I hadn't subjected Dominick to them much, so it wasn’t like he knew any of them well.
Let’s just wait and see.
It was the only thing I could do at the moment, no matter how annoyed it made me.
I made it home and parked my car beside Dominick’s. As soon as I got out, I could scent that a different Alpha had been here. It was just Riley, though, the Alpha Dominick was working with for his project with the council. I didn’t know Riley that well, but I had met him before. I didn’t have a thing against him, and if I didn’t trust him to work with Dominick, I would have done something about it already.
Suddenly, though, catching his scent in our home made me a little irritated. This was the first time another Alpha had come into my home since I brought Dominick back, and my instincts went crazy.
I practically ran for the door and yanked it open. Then I paused to calm myself down so I wouldn’t worry Dominick too much. Riley was long gone, and there was no need to scare my mate. Besides, I’d already told myself I wouldn’t give him any unreasonable restrictions.
&nb
sp; “John?”
My head whipped to the side, and I saw Dominick coming down the stairs. I looked over at him from head to toe. He looked a little pale and his hair was drooping, but when he saw me, he smiled. Why did he look so exhausted, though?
“Did you over-do it with work or something?” I asked, closing the door behind me and taking a few steps toward him, my arms held open.
Dominick didn’t need a clearer invitation, hurrying down the stairs and nearly running into my arms. I hugged him tightly and buried my head in his hair, breathing his scent in. I froze, then pulled back so I could look down at him.
“Were you sick or something?”
He stiffened, then looked up at me without pulling away from his chest as he nodded his head slightly.
“Just a little bit,” he sighed. “I’m feeling really hungry right now, though, like I could eat a whole deer or something.”
I patted his back gently. “Well, I don’t think I have deer, but there should be some beef in the kitchen. If you’re up for some meat, we can have that?”
“Steak? Done kinda raw?”
“Whatever you want,” I assured him.
He pulled out of my hold, then took my arm and dragged me over to the kitchen. I watched him in confusion, wondering why he was acting even stranger today. And that scent coming off him…like he’d vomited. My worry increased.
“Did you catch a stomach bug or something?” I asked, not sure if shifters could even get stomach bugs. Puking wasn’t entirely out of the question, but when I held him before, Dominick hadn't felt overly warm, so he didn’t have a fever or anything. “Should I go buy you some medicine?”
Dominick looked at me. “Nah, I think it was just something I ate. You don’t need to be so worried about it. I haven’t had much to eat though, so I’m feeling really hungry. Make something, okay?”
I pursed my lips, wondering why he was suddenly acting spoiled. But I ruffled his hair and moved to the fridge.
“Did you stop by the supermarket this morning?” I glanced at him over my shoulder.
“I got everything we need,” he said, waving a dismissive hand at me. “I’m waiting right here, okay? Try and hurry up.”
Dominick was never this demanding. Instead of finding it annoying, though, I thought it was kind of amusing, and I found myself chuckling. After looking through the fridge, I found the stuff I needed, and started stacking ingredients on the counter. First, I got water in a bowl and put the tray with the covered meat in it to thaw it out a bit, since it had lived in the freezer for a few days.
“How raw do you want your steak done?”
“As much as possible. If I could have it raw, I’d rather eat it like that.”
I shot him a strange look over my shoulder. He shouldn’t be craving for rare meat unless his wolf side was acting up. Maybe that was the problem? I didn’t know how often he shifted and went out to run, but he hadn't done it since coming to stay with me. Could that be where part of the problem lay? Shifters might be well integrated with humans, but we weren’t actually human. We needed to shift every now and then. When I couldn’t go out and run with my pack, I’d been shifting in my room and sleeping in wolf form, then going on long drives to try and get rid of my restless energy from not running around in my shifted form.
It had been a month already, and neither of us had shifted in that time. For shifters, it could be considered quite stifling.
Deciding to talk about it after we ate, I started cooking up the steak. There were some already cut vegetables in dishes in the fridge, and I pulled a few out so I could fry them as a side dish. I would have added some stuffed baked potatoes, but when I looked over my shoulder at Dominick, it was to see him with his head lying on the counter top, seated on a stool on the other side of the island that served as a breakfast bar. He looked like he was absolutely starving, and I cooked a little faster.
Since Dominick wanted his steak rare, I took his piece out of the fire first, then put it down to rest while I worked on the veggies. I glanced at Dominick again, and he was staring at the steak like he wanted to pounce on it.
“Give it a few minutes,” I said quickly, seeing him about to get up. “Just stay seated, okay? I’ll bring it over to you.”
My eyes landed back on the steak, and I wondered if it would even be enough for him. The cut wasn’t that big. After thinking it over for a minute, I plated my own steak and figured I could give him half of it once he was done with his own, then make myself a sandwich or something. One of the dishes in the fridge had some turkey slices that I could warm up for the sandwich.
After five minutes had passed, I brought the plate with the steak and a side vegetables over to Dominick. He fell on it immediately, and I forgot to eat myself, watching him stuff his mouth.
“Slow down a little,” I said, patting his back. “You don’t want to choke, or worse, make yourself sick again.”
He shot me a look out the corner of his eye, and managed to slow down, but only a little. When he was finished, his hands and his mouth were dirty with juices from the steak, and when his eyes fell on my plate, I slid it over to him without a word. He didn’t touch any of the vegetables, though, besides forcing back a few bites of it.
Okay…seriously. Something has got to be strange here.
I didn’t miss how he hadn't given me a straight answer about why he was sick before. I watched him eat his fill, then gave him some water, and watched even more closely, but he didn’t look like he was about to be sick. I tossed a few turkey slices in the veggies and ate them up, then took Dominick with me to the living room. I sat on the couch, and he snuggled in beside me, so I wrapped an arm around him and held him close.
“Can you tell me what you did today?” I asked, trying to make light conversation before I asked what I really wanted to.
“Well, I got up and went to the supermarket, then I met up with Riley and we worked a bit more on our project. It should be coming to an end soon.”
I hummed, frowning down at him. Usually, when I asked about his day, he would chatter on and on. The chatter box side of him was the total opposite of my first impression of him, and I kinda loved it. He sounded a bit distracted right then, though.
“Okay,” I said, holding onto his shoulders and pushing him slightly back so I could see his face. “It’s pretty obvious that something is wrong, so are you going to tell me why you’re acting so strange today, or should I ask first?”
His lips turned up in a small, nervous smile. “Isn’t that asking, though?”
“Don’t change the subject,” I said firmly.
Dominick looked down, and his shoulders rose as he took a deep breath, then met my eyes. I caught the distressed scent coming off him, and automatically, my hands started rubbing his shoulders, down his arms, trying to sooth him. It seemed to work.
“Dominick,” I said softly. “You can tell me anything.”
He nodded his head, and took in another deep breath. “Okay. John… I might have news. I haven’t concluded it a hundred percent, mind you, but…if my instincts aren’t wrong, I’m pregnant.”
My mouth fell open, but for a long moment, I couldn’t say a thing. And then, I sighed. Dominick immediately stiffened, the anxiety becoming even more obvious in his expression.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, wringing his hands together.
“Nothing,” I said quickly, in case he got the wrong idea. “I just think my wolf side was a lot smarter than I was. No wonder. I kept feeding you more, wanting to stay with you more, it must be because of this.”
Alphas were naturally possessive creatures, especially when it came to their Omegas, and even worse, an expectant Omega. They also got more caring toward their Omega when they were expecting, the need to guard and protect even stronger than ever.
A slow grin was growing on my face, but it froze, and I frowned down at him.
“Dominick, can I ask that you don’t meet an Alpha here until after the pregnancy? You’ll be feeling the bulk of it, but
you’re not the only one that’s going to be going through an emotional roller-coaster the next few months.”
He was still wringing his hands together, peering up at me. “You’re not…angry?”
I looked at him in surprise. “Why would I be angry? Dominick, I’m so happy right now, I’m not even sure how to show it. We’re going to be parents in less than a year!”
As I said it, the words sank in for me, and I grinned down at Dominick. He seemed taken aback by my sudden excitement.
“Isn’t it…a bit too soon?”
“Of course not. If we weren’t ready for this, then we both should have been more careful the past month.”
Dominick ducked down his head and blushed, and I just laughed and pulled him up with me as I got up from the couch.
“Come on! You and I definitely have to celebrate tonight. You can't drink alcohol, but I’ll get you some milk or juice or something, and we’ll go sit in the hot tub. We have so much to talk about.”
Dominick had a helpless look on his face, but faced with my enthusiasm, he suddenly let out a laugh and smiled up at me, being happy with me.
“What do we have to talk about?”
“Everything! We need to talk about the baby’s name. We don’t know if it’ll be a girl or a boy, so we can search for both. And then there’s other stuff, like sports and hobbies and how we’re going to raise him or her…”
I had completely forgotten I still had work the next day. We went ahead with everything I said, and I held Dominick in my lap, gently running my hand over his stomach as we talked about the future of our baby for hours. We didn’t stop even once I got us out of the tub, and at some point, Dominick fell asleep while I talked, and I just held him close and continued, a smile on my face the entire time.
Chapter 11
