Chapter 162: Pregnant

Chapter 162: Pregnant
(Gretel’s POV)

I slowly opened my eyes, waking up in the safehouse bedroom I now shared with Devion. His sister, Jazmine, had taken the other room, giving us some privacy.

Morning light filtered through the pale curtains, warming up the room and I felt a quiet kind of peace.

Everything that had happened recently weighed heavily on my mind—the reunion with my long-lost mother, being welcomed into my real father Hayden's pack, his pack, who had treated me with hostility earlier on, now treated me like I was one of them.

And now I was preparing to return with Devion to his territory where I was to stand beside him as his mate. As his Luna.

That's a lot to take in, but in a good way.

Then, my hand drifted over my stomach, almost without thinking. I have been feeling strange lately. I hadn’t told Devion yet—I didn’t want to add more to his already full plate.

I’d been quietly throwing up in the early mornings for a few days now. Almost all the signs point to pregnancy, but I didn’t know how to say it out loud, even to myself.

The thought that maybe, we're having a baby?

Before I could spiral further into my thoughts, the bedroom door creaked open. Devion’s familiar face peeked inside, eyes looking soft but somehow alert.

"You’re awake, my love," he said gently, walking in and settling on the bed beside me. The bed dipped slightly under his weight.

Then he pulled me into his arms. I sighed as I leaned into his chest. His strong arms around me brought me some comfort.

His hand stroked through my hair, and for a moment, I almost lulled back to sleep.

But then, he spoke to me, catching me off guard.

"Why were you touching your stomach just now, sweetheart?" he asked in his usual teasing manner. “Is there something... or someone in there?” he added with a smirk.

My face burned, and I quickly turned my head away. “It’s nothing. My stomach’s just been a little... off. I vomited earlier. It’s probably something I ate,” I mumbled, but even I didn’t believe it.

His eyes narrowed slightly, the way they mostly did when he was picking apart a lie. And then—just like that—he beamed.

Without warning, he scooped me into his lap, laughing out loud like he’d won a precious medal just now.

“I knew it!” he grinned widely. “I knew you’d be pregnant after mating on that full moon night, on the mating ceremony! Oh, thank God for this blessing!”

My throat closed up as emotion swelled inside me. I didn’t even need to say it. He’d figured it out before I had the courage to admit it.

His hand moved to rest gently over my stomach, his palm feeling warm and light.

Then his eyes sparkled. “There’s more than one,” he murmured in awe. “My wolf senses them. Two pups. We’re going to have twins, Gretel. Oh, I'm overwhelmed with joy.”

My eyes went wide, and my lips parted in shock. Twins?

Before I could speak, he leaned down and kissed me, sweet and tender. My heart beat faster against his chest, and I returned the kiss slowly, shyly. I was scared—terrified even—but this moment felt right. Safe.

When he pulled away, his gaze had grown more serious. “I have to meet with my men now. Finalize our travel plans. If we round up everything here before noon, we can arrive at the estate by evening.”

I nodded slowly. “That sounds good. There’s a lot that needs to be done back there.”

His eyes searched mine, and I thought I saw hesitation flickering inside them for a moment. “As soon as we get back, I’ll call a meeting with the pack elders. We need to set some things straight—like deciding Sylvester’s punishment. And I want to strengthen our security. Those betrayers can't escape and gather more allies.”

My chest tightened. Sylvester—his uncle who’d mostly treated me with cold cruelty. He was locked up now, but his betrayal still seemed to ache in our hearts like old wounds. I nodded again.

“That’s wise, Devion. After what we’ve been through, we need to feel safe and peaceful now.”

He sighed at that, seemingly relieved. He seemed to like it when I agreed with him on his ideas—especially when they involved his role as Alpha.

But just when I thought the conversation was over, he leaned in again, this time brushing his lips against my ear.

“But for now,” he murmured, voice lower, deeper, “I think our pups would like to celebrate with their father again.”

I shivered as his teeth grazed the soft skin of my neck. There wasn’t a single part of me that resisted. In the golden light of that morning, I gave in to my mate’s embrace—and let him love me as I also craved.

\---

Later that morning, we began packing our things, preparing to return to Devion’s estate. I couldn’t help the nerves fluttering in my chest.

I was about to meet his pack—the Darkhowl wolves. Would they accept me? Would they embrace me as Luna, just like the Silverwolves at my father's pack accepted my mother?

Or would they reject me, still look at me like I didn’t belong? But now Sylvester was imprisoned, and he was the only loud voice of hate against me. But even without him, some hearts might still carry doubt.

The car ride back to the estate was filled with quiet reflections—until Jazmine spoke up from the seat beside me.

She was on the phone with her fiancé, Aron, her voice bubbling with excitement. When she hung up, she turned to me with a beaming smile.

“Aron’s coming soon to help with the wedding preparations! Just a week away now that the semester’s over!”

I smiled, genuinely happy for her. “That’s amazing. I’m so glad everything is falling into place for you.”

Jazmine giggled, her cheeks glowing. “Can you believe it? In just weeks, I’ll be Luna of the Windhowler pack! And you... Luna of Darkhowl! A year ago, we were just stressed-out college girls. Now we’re mated to alphas. This year really came with many surprises, didn't it?”

I leaned back in the leather seat and chuckled quietly. “It really did. Everything changed so fast.”

Her words made me think deeply. A few weeks ago, college was all I could think about. But now? My life had changed completely.

Neither of us would be returning to classes, it seems. That version of our lives was already behind us once we took our places as Lunas.

Who would've thought the man I bumped into nearly a year ago would become the center of my life? My mate. My Alpha. My love.

I once dreamed of independence, of becoming a woman who didn’t need marriage. But now I saw strength in something else—something deeper. A shared path. A destiny entwined with Devion's.

“Yes,” I said, more to myself than to Jazmine. “It’s been the most eventful year of our lives, so far.”

She turned to look at me thoughtfully. “Do you regret it?”

“No,” I said softly. “Not a single part of it. Even the hard times led us here. And here… feels right.”

Jazmine leaned her head against mine, smiling in what seemed like agreement.

The road ahead seems full of love and hope, and I was looking forward to it.

To Devion.

To a new chapter.

To everything that awaited us.