The Millennium Wolves Book 4
Автор
Sapir Englard
Прочтений
🔥216M
Глав
33
Three Is the Magic Number
Book 4
SIENNA
“It’s a boy, Sienna!”
The words were followed by a sudden, high-pitched cry that flooded my whole body with an urgent joy.
My teary eyes met Jocelyn’s as she lifted my baby and placed him in my arms. And as I gazed down at the tiny, red-faced creature nestled against my breast, my heart swelled with love and wonder.
With the knowledge that this was the moment I’d been waiting for my entire life.
A shadow fell across my body, and I looked up.
“Aiden?”
The imposing figure leaning over me was blocking the light from the overhead fixture, but I would know my mate anywhere.
“Give me the baby, Sienna,” he said, his voice soft yet strangely commanding.
Something in his manner seemed off, but this was my mate, my baby’s father. How could I deny him?
Almost against my will, my arms loosened, allowing him to pick up our son.
Aiden straightened and gazed down at our baby for a moment, then turned sharply and strode toward the door.
“Aiden, come back! Where are you taking him?”
Frantic, I tried to rise, but Jocelyn put a firm hand on my chest. “There’s something wrong with the baby, Sienna. Aiden needs to take him to get help.”
“No!” I cried, and Aiden halted at the door, then turned.
His expression twisted into a snarl, revealing elongated fangs.
Konstantin!
“I told you if you didn’t give me what I want,” the vampyre hissed, “I’d take it, Sienna…”
***
“Sienna…”
“Sienna! Wake up, love. You’re having another nightmare.”
Aiden.
My mate’s hand was on my shoulder, shaking me gently, and I was in our bed at the hotel, my heart racing with remnants of fear.
I could still feel the warm weight of the dream baby in my arms—and my desperation at its loss.
Shit. I let out a shuddering sob as Aiden pulled me into his embrace. I thought I’d seen the last of my Konstantin nightmares now that the bastard is dead.
I’d heard pregnancy hormones could cause vivid dreams, but that nightmare was unsettling.
“It was about…” But I trailed off.
Was I pregnant?
Unlike the last time I’d missed my period and went to see Jocelyn, Aiden and I were on the same page this time, with the same amount of information.
He’d seen my pee stick, for God’s sake!
Granted, he didn’t know what the plus sign meant until I told him, but still…
It was the thought that counted.
But after the family dinner, when the initial excitement of the positive pregnancy test had worn off, I’d realized something didn’t quite add up.
Sure, Selene—the only one other than Aiden who knew about the test—had told me it was pretty accurate, that she and Jeremy had even used one when they couldn’t reach Jocelyn.
But I needed confirmation.
And I needed it to come from the healer I trusted the most. But unfortunately for me, and especially for her, she wasn’t available.
My heart twinged at the thought of Jocelyn’s loss.
“About what, Sienna?”
Not wanting to worry my mate about the content of the nightmare, I stuck with the more immediate problem.
“Aiden, I…I don’t trust that pee stick.”
I felt his chest rise and fall as he sighed. “Sienna…”
“And I miss Jocelyn.”
“I know you do, sweetheart. Shall we go see Hanh tomorrow to set your mind at rest? I know he’s not Jocelyn, but…”
I nodded my head against Aiden’s bare chest. “Okay.”
But to be honest, as nice as he was, I wasn’t sure I trusted Hanh either.
***
The next morning, I stopped by Aiden’s office on the way to the medical suite. He was leaning over his desk, frowning as he leafed through a pile of papers, and didn’t notice me hovering by the door.
I cleared my throat, and when he looked up, I cocked a hand on my hip. “How about you delegate some of that work to Felix so you can come with me?”
He looked confused for a moment, so I rubbed my stomach and gave him a stern look. “Get your mind out of the gutter, lover boy. The maybe-baby and I are going to visit Hanh. You in?”
***
I took a deep breath before knocking on the door to Hanh’s office, and Aiden gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.
“Sienna! Alpha Norwood! To what do I owe this unexpected visit?” Hanh said as soon as he opened the door.
I pushed my way past him, Aiden in tow, then wheeled around.
“I took a pregnancy test, Hanh!”
Hanh’s normally serene countenance betrayed his surprise with a slight eye twitch.
“It was positive.” I released Aiden’s hand and crossed my arms. “But how is that possible? Wouldn’t that mean I was pregnant when you examined me a week and a half ago?”
“Hmm.” He nodded thoughtfully, then gestured for me to hop onto the examination table. “When was your last period?”
As Hanh took my hand, Aiden sat down in a wooden chair, his eyes never leaving me. If his intense watchfulness was making Hanh nervous, the healer was hiding it well.
“Um…about five or six weeks ago?”
“Permission to touch you, Mrs. Mercer-Norwood?”
I nodded and lay back on the examination table. “I…I just need to know the truth,” I admitted, my voice trembling slightly.
“Of course. Let’s see what we can find out.” Hanh placed his hands on my belly, his movements deliberate yet gentle, then closed his eyes in concentration.
My heart raced with anticipation and anxiety, and when Hanh’s brow furrowed suddenly, it plummeted into my stomach.
After a few moments of tense silence, he removed his hands and stepped back.
I immediately searched his eyes, but they gave nothing away.
“As you know, Sienna, Alpha Norwood”—Hanh nodded in Aiden’s direction—“I am only an assistant healer, filling in for Jocelyn. And in light of the contradictory and inconclusive findings of my previous examination…
“I’d like to defer to modern medicine in this case and take a blood sample. But it will take a day or two to get the results back from the lab.”
My shoulders slumped. I’d gone to visit Hanh to settle my nerves, but I felt more unsettled than ever.
“And if you are pregnant,” he continued, “I want to remind you both that I’m leaving next week to visit my mother and have procured a substitute healer for the time that I’ll be gone.”
AIDEN
Almost a week had passed since Hanh called to say that we were really, truly, undeniably having a baby, and holy shit was it the week of a lifetime.
Filled with tender sex, hopeful talks about the future, and connecting with Sienna in a way I’d never before imagined possible.
But also busy as hell.
A house in our neighborhood had recently become available for rent, and tired of hotel living and eager to be able to more closely observe our home’s progress, we’d jumped at the opportunity to move in.
And Sienna didn’t know yet, but I’d spoken to the contractor about finishing the bedroom next to ours ASAP so I could fill it with all the baby things she’d been saving to PinBoard.
Thank God for Felix. I never could have gotten everything done without his help.
But that wasn’t the only surprise we’d been working on.
Tonight I was taking Sienna out, but she had no idea what was in store.
Right now, she was trying to get ready for what she thought was a simple date—applying her makeup, spraying her hair—but I kept distracting her.
I couldn’t help it.
The girl was easily the best-looking thing I’d ever seen.
Everything from her long red locks to her even-fuller-than-usual breasts, from her long legs to the curve of her lightly freckled ass…
I growled. I couldn’t just look at her. I had to feel her.
Grabbing her from behind, I backed up to the bed, where we collapsed onto the mattress.
Her giggles filled the room as I flipped her to face me. “Aiden, I swear to God, if you don’t stop this, we’re never going to make the reservation!”
“What reservation?” I asked innocently, trying to throw her off. “Let’s skip it.” But there was no way we wouldn’t be showing up tonight.
“Aiden, no. Even though we decided not to tell anyone about the baby yet, the two of us need to celebrate. Besides, I’m starving.” She tried to get up, but I kept a tight hold of her, keeping her pressed to me.
“Let me go,” she demanded.
“Never.”
“Aiden, come on…”
I pressed my hardness up into her and gave her the “I’m going crazy and need you now” look.
“Aiden Norwood, control yourself.”
“It’s impossible when I’m around you.”
She narrowed her eyes and lowered her face until there was nothing more than a centimeter between our lips.
“Let go of me and I’ll kiss you,” she said softly, her sweet voice turning me on even more.
I immediately unwrapped my arms from her back, but instead of the long, passionate kiss I was expecting, Sienna just pecked me and jumped up.
“Come on, slowpoke,” she taunted, slipping a pair of heels onto her feet. “I don’t want to be late.”
I groaned but stood up, straightening my sweater. “You’re killing me.”
“Good things come to those who wait,” she responded with a smile, then grabbed her purse and sauntered out of the room.
SIENNA
“I’m so ready for this meal. Just you and me, a quiet table, a bottle of…well, not wine, but something…,” I said as we drove to the restaurant.
Aiden nodded along with me. “Mm-hmm, a quiet dinner. For sure. Can’t wait.”
“Aiden Norwood,” I said, turning to him. “Tell me you made the dinner reservation for just us like I asked you to.”
“Just us.” He nodded quickly, keeping his eyes on the road. “Like you asked.”
“Somehow I’m not so reassured.”
“Sienna, baby, would I ever do anything to go against your wishes or force you to do something you weren’t prepared for?”
I looked at his profile again, this time noticing his smirk. “I don’t know, would you?”
We rolled up to the entrance, and Aiden climbed out and handed the keys to the valet attendant, then walked around to open my door.
I sighed, taking his lack of response for an indication of what I was about to walk into.
My hope for a quiet night with my mate dissolved, I took Aiden’s hand, and he helped me out of the passenger seat.
He wouldn’t look me in the eye, which meant only one thing.
My dear mate was afraid of getting caught.
I leaned in suddenly, and when I kissed him, I could tell he was surprised because of how high his eyebrows shot up.
Pulling away from his lips quickly, I whispered in his ear, “I know you’re up to something, Alpha,” then took off, walking ahead of him into the restaurant.
As soon as I stepped foot inside, a chorus of “SURPRISE!” rang out from all over the room.
