Chapter 8
The drive is longer than I expected as we slowly leave the small town behind. I can't help but smile contently as the buildings give way to the beautiful forest, the leaves changing to the lovely colors of red, orange, and yellow that you find in fall. Inside the Jeep, Tate has the seat-warmer on underneath me, the warmth causing my lids to feel heavy as I drowsily continue to watch the scene fly past me.
I must have dozed off from the peacefulness of the drive with my newly discovered mate beside me because soon I find myself in a groggy stupor, being lifted into strong arms that bring a sense of warmth and security over me. Groaning, I turn my head into whoever held me, hiding my eyes from the light above and clutching at a soft fabric.
“Shh, Laina, go back to sleep little one,” a deep gentle voice whispers in my ear, and I oblige, letting the darkness of a comfortable dreamless sleep take over me once more.
-÷-
Once again, I find myself waking up in an unfamiliar room, the tantalizing scent of who I assume is my mate lingering in the air along with the scent of bacon. Late-morning light tries its best to filter in through the soft blue curtains. My eyes scan the room, finding three doors. One I believe is a closet, the second the exit, and the third I assume is possibly a bathroom. Pushing back the thick comforter that covers my body, I take my time sitting up, resting my hand on my pregnant stomach, and try my best to scan this new room.
I notice my bags right away and scramble to my feet in a panic as I go through every pocket, finding the bags completely empty. Searching the room, I walk through a door into a walk-in closet, finding the minimal clothing I own clean and hanging nicely on one side. Exiting the closet, I notice a vanity sitting just beside the large window with a brand-new Kate Spade purse sitting on top with a piece of paper attached to it. My hands reach for the paper once I am in front of the vanity while my eyes scan the note left by Tate.
Laina, Sorry for intruding on your things, but you were in a deep sleep. I hope you like this new purse. I thought it would suit you.
Tate I sigh with relief and a bit of giddiness as I look inside the purse, noticing my wallet and booklet of numbers inside. Tate has a notorious name in the werewolf community, but this big bad Alpha seems to be a softy when it comes to me. Putting the note away in my purse, I continue to explore the room, smiling triumphantly when I find a large bathroom with a clawfoot tub to soak in. After relieving my full bladder, which the twins press against, I search the bathroom for some bubble bath, finding a vanilla-scented one, and begin to turn the water on in the bathtub, using half the bottle of the scented liquid. Foamy bubbles soon cover the surface. The thought of a long soak in the bubble bath brings tears to my eyes. It has been a while since I last enjoyed a bubble bath, and when running for both your life and the children inside you, it is hard to find a place to enjoy a shower.
Undressing, I carefully climb into the clawfoot tub, the scent of vanilla wrapping around me as my sore muscles begin to relax. The twins must have agreed with me as they gently move inside me, causing a soft smile to spread on my face.
“What do you think of this Alpha?” I ask my stomach, gently rubbing the baby bump. I giggle when they kick at my hands harder than before, taking their movements as a positive response. Maybe being here is starting to turn into a good thing. The quiet bathroom fills with steam and vanilla, causing my still-tired body to become slightly drowsy again. I decide that now would be a good time to scrub my body clean and rinse off the suds with the shower hose attached to the clawfoot. Once fully cleaned and relaxed, I climb out of the now empty tub and wrap a large fluffy black towel around my body. Part of me does not want to leave the warm room, but my stomach is starting to protest its need for food. Towel-drying my hair, I exit the bathroom and head into the closet to pick out a pair of leggings and a baggy long-sleeve shirt. I can't help but sigh knowing that the shirt I am wearing is a little too snug, but there is nothing I can do until I go shopping for proper clothing to fit my growing body.
Exiting the closet, a knock on the door catches my attention, causing me to turn towards it with suspicion. Taking a deep breath to steady my nervous heart, I reach for the nearest object I can do damage with—a lamp— and position myself just to the side in a defensive stance ready to attack whoever is on the other side.
"Come in," I call out, watching the door open to reveal Tate.
"Good mor—wait, were you going to hit me with that?" I sigh with relief and put the lamp back, facing the man who is my mate.
"No, I was going to hit whoever I didn't know with it," I correct, getting a chuckle from him that sends my heart fluttering.
"I thought you would like to know that food is ready, and I brought a shirt for you since yours looked too small when I was cleaning your clothes." I smile at Tate's considerate thought, thanking him while I take the offered shirt. Slipping out of tight long-sleeve, I pull on the soft cotton black long-sleeve V-neck that smells faintly like him. Feeling comfortable, I stretch, loving the fact I can move freely once again.
"Not shy around guys?" It wasn't a question, but how Tate worded his statement causes me to blush slightly in embarrassment.
"Sorry, I am used to changing in front of my cousin and his mate because they're gay and everything. You should have seen their faces when they brought me back new clothes. We have a fashion show in our living room," I apologize, giving Tate an explanation at my comfort around men. I squeak in surprise when strong arms pull me towards a chiseled chest, Tate's scent enveloping my senses.
"Don't apologize to me. You are my mate. You should be comfortable around me," he says, kissing the top of my head. I can't help but snuggle into him, the sense of security returning. If this is how a mate is supposed to be, then count me in and give me a contract to sign.
"Now come on, let's go eat." He lets go of me, and I instantly miss his warmth, smiling happily when he takes my hand and leads me down the stairs to a large bright kitchen. I can't help but smile at the thought of baking inside here. The recipes I love so much filling the house with their delicious scent feeling close to becoming a reality with children running around.
"Sit over there, and I will bring you some food. I know you've had a rough time, so I want you to get some rest," Tate directs me to a breakfast nook in the corner of the kitchen, situated under large windows on either side. I smile at how pampering he sounds, the image of the cruel Alpha I once imagined him to be slowly dissolving into this sweet mate image. Sitting down, I take the time to fully look at my mate. He has dark chestnut-colored hair that is similar to my own with lighter natural highlights thrown about. His hair is cut short and styled in a messy way, my fingers itching to run through his locks. His broad shoulders connect to strong muscular arms, arms that have held me multiple times since meeting yesterday. One thing is for sure, Tate is fit and lean, his body radiating power, as an Alpha should. His dark-green eyes remind me of the forest in summer. Warm and welcoming, something I know that if I stare too deeply, I will get lost in.
"Here you go. Over-easy eggs, bacon, and hash browns." Tate's voice breaks me from my thoughts as he places a full plate in front of me, my stomach grumbling at the wonderful aroma.
"And blueberry vanilla tea," he adds, chuckling at my reaction to the food.
"Thank you." I smile gratefully at my mate, taking a sip of the herbal tea before digging into my eggs. Tate soon joins me with a plate of his own, adding two pieces of toast to my plate, which I use to soak up the warm yolk. The distinct smell of coffee hits my nose from the green mug Tate sips from, his eyes looking everywhere but at me. We sit there in silence for a moment before he sighs and looks to my stomach.
"You really did not know about it being illegal? About Breeders being illegal?" he asks with concern etched into his face. I can't help but put my hand on my stomach, nodding yes to answer his question and getting another deep sigh from Tate.
“I guess only a few knew about the new rule. The Beta pair probably knew. Most wolves probably just decided to ignore it to get free sex,” I reply, my voice quiet as I think about Abby and her attitude. It all made sense with how her behavior took a one-eighty.
"They are a bunch of morons if you ask me," Tate growls out in frustration, rubbing his hand against his face.
"Not all of them." I look up to see him staring at me, his eyes filled with love and jealousy. I start to have doubts, wondering if Tate will protect my pups.
"I will protect you, but I don't like the fact that the pups you are carrying aren't mine." I sigh at his angry words, looking down at my empty plate. I know he must feel terrible knowing that the mate he has waited for is pregnant by someone else, but it's not like he waited for me. Everyone knows about the many girls he dated before becoming an Alpha. I used to feel sorry for the wolf that would end up as his mate, but seeing how concerned and gentle he is with me makes me happy in a way.
"Look, Tate, I am not in the mood for arguing. We just met. I want to get to know you and for you to get to know me, but whether you like it or not, I am keeping these babies," I state, standing up and depositing my dishes in the sink. I can feel his eyes on me as I make my way out of the kitchen and into the next room, which turns out to be the living room. My eyes instantly go to the house phone, located just on the desk by the large bay window, and I walk over to pick it up. Scanning through the contacts, I find the person I am looking for—Eeva—and I press the call button.
"I told you to let her sleep, you idiot. She is pregnant for Goddess' sake," she answers—more like yells—into the phone before I can say anything.
"Um, A) Ouch, my ear—" I say loudly, switching the phone to my left ear while I massage the abused right ear.
"And B) Want go shopping? I need clothes for my ever-expanding baby bump," I continue, offering an olive branch to the wolf that will be my sister-in-law.
"Sorry about that, Laina, I thought you were Tate. The idiot has called me about ten times, wanting to wake you up since you slept like the dead. And, yes, I would love to go shopping. I'll be there in a few." She hangs up, and I giggle at the phone before replacing it in its holder and make my way up the stairs. I return to the room I woke up in and quickly grab my new purse. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I head back down the stairs, only to see Tate standing in the front hallway.
"Where are you going?" he asks, his eyes looking at the purse in my hand while I find a pair of my shoes in the hallway closet.
"I'm going shopping with your sister," I reply, slipping my sneakers onto my feet and looking inside my purse to double check I have everything.
"I am your mate, I should go with you," he growls out possessively, his arms landing on either side of my head against the wall I am leaning on. I can see his emotions swirling in the depth of his eyes as I wonder what his problem is. I get we are mates, but I needed this. I needed to have some sense of normalcy once again.
"And I am a free person who can go anywhere I want, and I will not be treated any differently. I became a slave to my old pack before running away; I will not be treated like one in my new pack!" I retort back, my voice higher than normal but lower than a yell. Shock fills Tate's eyes, replacing all of his other thoughts as he stares at me with disbelief. A blush covers my cheeks when I realize what I have said, turning to look away for a moment.
"Wait? Your new pack?" he questions, his fingers tilting my head to look back at him.
"I figured since we are mates, I should join. If you don't want m—" my words are cut off as Tate's lips are pressed to mine, the kiss sweet and gentle. I can feel the possessiveness and care he pours into this single kiss as his hands move to wrap me in an embrace.
"I want you," he says when he pulls away, kissing my forehead. I can't help the grin that spreads across my face as he tucks my head under his chin, hugging me to him.
"Just get yourself a cell phone so that I can reach you and so that you can call me," he adds with a sigh. I knew I had won my time to go out with Eeva and get away for a bit. The front door swings open, and Eeva sticks her head in, looking around as if afraid of being caught.
"Sorry, was waiting for the yelling to stop before I came in," Eeva states, and I laugh at her.
"So my mate has the pups for a few hours, you have a meeting to go to Tate, and don't worry, Laina is in good hands," my new friend states and grabs me from within her brother's arms.
"Bye, bro. Love you," she says in a singsong voice and pushes me out the door and out of his reach as I laugh hard at her antics.
"Go, go, go! He is possessive and didn't like the way I took you," she says as if she is a soldier as I climb into her Hummer. She speeds out of the driveway just in time for a pissed-off Tate to run out after us, his eyes glaring at his sister as he shakes his head.
"To the mall!" she exclaims, and I sit back, clutching at my stomach, which is slightly sore from laughing so hard.
"Hey, if you pass a Tim Horton's, can we stop so that I can get a white hot chocolate?" I ask.
"Sure, one thing about our lovely Canada is that Tim Horton's are everywhere," She answers, and I laugh again. I have a feeling that Eeva and I will be very close, almost like a true sister.