Chapter 147 PEACEFUL

Chapter 147 PEACEFUL
Five peaceful months passed since we returned from the southern capital, and the green valley looked beautiful again. The northern wolves worked very hard to rebuild our home, and dozens of new wooden cabins now lined the blue river.

My belly grew very round during the peaceful summer months, and I finally looked like a true mother. The two tiny pups growing inside me were very active, and they made me feel incredibly happy every single day.

I stepped out onto the front porch of our new cabin, and the morning sun warmed my face. I wore a soft linen dress to accommodate my growing stomach, and I felt a cool breeze brush past my shoulders.

I saw an empty wooden water bucket resting on the porch steps, and I decided to fetch some fresh water from the river. I bent down to pick the bucket up by its thick rope handle, but a large hand suddenly snatched it away from my fingers.

"You are not supposed to carry heavy things, Bellatrix," Vladislav scolded me gently, and he held the wooden bucket far out of my reach. He wore a simple linen shirt instead of his dark armor, and his bright blue eyes looked very worried.

"The bucket is empty, and it does not weigh more than a few small apples," I argued with a soft laugh. "An empty bucket turns into a heavy bucket very fast, and you might slip on the wet mud near the water," he reasoned.

"I have walked along that riverbank my whole life, and I am not going to slip in the mud," I promised him. "I am going to fetch the water for you, so please go sit down in the comfortable chair," he insisted stubbornly.

He pointed toward a large wooden rocking chair resting in the shade of the front porch, and he gave me a very strict look. I crossed my arms over my chest, and I glared right back at his handsome face.

"You are acting like a nervous mother hen again, Vladislav," an older woman called out from the dirt path. We turned our heads to look, and we saw a group of three pack mothers walking toward our cabin.

The women carried woven baskets filled with fresh vegetables, and they smiled brightly at our little argument. "She is pregnant with twins, so she needs to rest her body," Vladislav defended his actions to the older women.

"She is a pregnant Alpha wolf with ancient silver magic, and she is much stronger than you think," the oldest pack mother told him. "I remember when I was pregnant with my third child, and I chopped my own firewood until the day he was born," another woman added.

"That sounds very dangerous, and I will never let Bellatrix chop wood," Vladislav answered with a horrified expression on his pale face. The three women laughed out loud, and their cheerful voices echoed across the peaceful dirt clearing.

"You survived a thousand years of bloody wars, but a round belly terrifies you," the oldest mother teased the ancient vampire. "I am not terrified, because I am simply taking proper care of my mate," Vladislav grumbled, and his cheeks turned a very faint shade of pink.

"You follow her around the village all day, and you refuse to let her lift a single spoon," a young mother joked. "I am surprised you do not carry her everywhere she goes," she added with a wide grin.

"I offered to carry her to the dining tables yesterday, but she threatened to burn my boots with her magic," Vladislav admitted honestly. The pack women laughed even harder, and I could not stop the huge smile from spreading across my own face.

The northern wolves truly accepted Vladislav into their family, and they loved to tease him about his new domestic life. He used to be the most feared commander in the southern courts, but now he spent his days worrying about water buckets and soft chairs.

"You should listen to the women, Vladislav, because they know a lot more about having babies than you do," Elder Silas said. The old wolf walked up the dirt path to join our group, and he carried a large wooden bowl filled with sweet berries.

"I read five different medical books from the royal library, so I know exactly what to do," Vladislav argued with the respected Elder. "Reading a dusty old book is very different from raising a real child in the forest," Silas pointed out with a wise tone.

"I just want to make sure the babies are safe, and I want to make sure she does not strain her back," Vladislav explained his genuine fear. "We appreciate your dedication, but you need to let the Queen breathe a little bit," Silas advised him kindly.

The older women nodded in agreement, and they waved goodbye to us before continuing their walk down the dirt path. Elder Silas walked over to a nearby tree stump, and he sat down to sort through his bowl of fresh berries.

I looked at Vladislav, and he still held the empty wooden bucket in his large hand. He looked a little bit embarrassed by the public teasing, so I decided to pull him away for a private conversation.

"Come inside the cabin with me for a minute," I requested softly, and I opened the heavy wooden front door. He followed me inside the quiet house, and he set the empty water bucket down near the warm stone fireplace.

The cabin smelled like fresh pine needles, and the thick glass windows let plenty of bright sunlight into the large room. We stood in the center of the warm living area, and I reached my hands out to hold his broad shoulders.

"The pack mothers are right, because you are hovering over me too much," I told him with a very gentle and loving voice. "I am just trying to protect you," he whispered, and he rested his large hands lightly on my round stomach.

"I know you want to protect us, but I am not a fragile glass doll," I reminded him, and I looked right into his bright blue eyes. "I fought a brutal war alongside you, and my body is strong enough to handle fetching a simple bucket of water."

"I know you are incredibly strong, but I cannot stop the terrible worry in my mind," he confessed his hidden feelings to me. "I spent my whole life destroying things, and I am terrified I will ruin this beautiful family by making a simple mistake."

His honest words broke my heart, and I understood exactly why he acted so nervous all the time. He never had a real family to care for, and the sudden responsibility overwhelmed his protective instincts.

"You are not going to ruin anything, because you are doing a wonderful job," I reassured him, and I rubbed his broad shoulders to soothe his tension. "You built this amazing cabin with your bare hands, and you hunt fresh food for the village every single morning."

"I just want to be perfect for you and the twins," he said, and he leaned down to rest his forehead against mine. "You do not have to be perfect, Vladislav, because you just have to be here with us," I answered him honestly.

"I promise I will try to relax, and I will let you carry the empty water buckets from now on," he compromised with a small smile. "That is a very good start, and maybe next week you will let me sweep the wooden floors," I teased him right back.

"Let us not push our luck too far, because sweeping is still a very exhausting chore," he joked, and the heavy tension finally left his broad chest. He wrapped his arms around me, and we shared a very slow and tender hug in the middle of our new home.

The quiet moment felt perfect, and I realized how lucky I was to have a mate who cared about me so deeply. We pulled apart after a few minutes, because we heard loud footsteps approaching our front porch outside.

"I will go fetch the water for you now, and you can sit in the rocking chair to enjoy the fresh air," Vladislav offered. "I will accept your offer this one time, but only because I want to eat those sweet berries Elder Silas brought," I agreed.

We walked back out the front door together, and the bright afternoon sun felt very good against my skin. I walked over to the large wooden rocking chair on the porch, and I sat down carefully to rest my tired legs.

Vladislav grabbed the empty water bucket, and he smiled at me before walking down the wooden steps. He walked past Elder Silas, and the old wolf was still sitting on the tree stump near our dirt path.

I reached over to a small side table, and I grabbed a thick wool blanket to drape over my lap because the wind picked up slightly. Vladislav noticed the blanket, and he immediately turned around to walk right back up the wooden stairs.

He pulled a second thick blanket off the porch railing, and he tucked the heavy fabric tightly around my shoulders. "The mountain wind is getting very cold, and I do not want you to catch a fever," he said with a serious tone.

I rolled my eyes at his returning protective habits, but I did not stop him from wrapping the warm blankets around me. I loved the extra warmth, and I knew it made him feel much better to take care of me.

Elder Silas watched the entire interaction from his tree stump, and the old wolf shook his head in pure amusement. The respected leader stood up from the wood, and he carried his large bowl of sweet berries over to our front porch.

Elder Silas walked by with the basket of fruit, laughed at Vladislav's hovering, and said, "If you wrap her in any more thick blankets, she is going to melt before winter even arrives, vampire."