12

Nathan

Tossing the letter on my desk, I cursed quietly.

“Let me guess,” Micah drawled from where he lounged on the sofa. His feet were propped up on the table, his laptop in his lap, reports spread out around him. “Another letter from our good friend Kurt. Anything new?”

“No,” I bit out. “Just the same copy-and-pasted crap about how he’s going to rip my throat out and steal my pack.”

“Man just doesn’t know when to give up.” Micah shook his head then cocked it at me, his gray-blue eyes inquisitive. “He got the notice that you’re having a kid, right? Dad said they sent it a couple of weeks ago.”

“Oh, he got it,” I groused, flopping into my chair and drumming my fingers irritably on the armrest. “He thinks it’s a lie. We can’t tell him who Celly—Celeste—is, for her own safety. And, since the Elders in their great wisdom,” I couldn’t keep the sourness out of my voice there, “won’t instate me as Alpha properly until the baby’s here, Kurt refuses to back off.”

“Think he’ll try something in the next three months?” Micah asked, his expression going speculative.

Three months. The baby would be here in three months. It felt like forever and no time at all. “Who the hell knows?” I blew out a breath. “This was supposed to fix everything, and I feel like it hasn’t improved anything at all.”

His mouth twisted in sympathy. “Still no change with Celeste?” “No,” I snarled. “She won’t answer my calls, and she made it

extremely clear that I’m not to go back to her house.” I scrubbed my face with my hands. “I want her, Micah. She’s the only one I’ve ever wanted. I know I screwed up, but …” I spread my hands. “I’m trying. I came back.

I’m cooperating with the damn Elders. I’m trying to respect her boundaries. I just—I just want her to give me another chance.”

“I know,” he shook his head. “You’d have done better if you’d known how. Story of everyone’s life, man.”

I sighed. He was right, of course. I was hardly the only person ever to screw up and lament it. But this was my life, and without Celeste, there was a giant, gaping hole in it. I’d told myself I was fine for five years. But the instant I’d touched her again, everything I’d buried had reignited, and nothing could quench the fire inside me.

I ran myself ragged, hoping to get by through sheer distraction. I

was taking parenting classes, and I’d overhauled the guest bedroom-turned- nursery in record time. There wasn’t an ounce of pack business I didn’t have nailed down, and I’d almost doubled our quarterly income with all the extra hours I’d put into the business. Everything in my life was thriving,

except for the two things that mattered most: getting formally named Alpha so I could protect my pack and winning Celly back.

The desire to simply pummel Kurt into the ground and get that disaster over with was overwhelming, but the Elders remained intractable. I suspected Gideon might actually have let me just to be done with the hassle, but the other two remained entrenched. Bastards. Until I was officially

Alpha, though, there was nothing I could do. Defying them now, this close to my official instatement, could only end in even more disaster, and I

couldn’t do that to my pack.

As for Celeste, I tracked her appointments and the baby’s development via the agency’s tracking site fanatically, but that was as close as I got. I caught glimpses of her here and there in town, but she fastidiously kept her distance. I’d let myself get carried away in the heat of the moment and broken my promise to keep things professional, and it

seemed she had no interest in forgiving me.

The alarm on my phone went off. I snatched it from the other side of the desk and looked at the reminder. “I have to go.”

“Appointment?” Micah asked, shuffling through the papers surrounding him.

“At the surrogacy agency,” I confirmed, standing up. That got his attention. “Celeste and I have another consultation and round of papers to sign. Stuff about her birthing plan.” I gave him a rueful half-smile. “Any advice?”

He considered a moment with the same thoughtful expression he applied to resolving challenges with our trickiest clients. Finally, he said, “play the long game.” He gestured between us. “We’re wolves, Nathan. When we mate, it’s forever. She knows you belong together, even if she doesn’t like it right now. She’ll come around, but she has to do it in her time. Don’t rush her.”

“Right.” Frustration settled in my chest, but I made myself nod. “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The drive over to the agency was pleasant enough, but I couldn’t help the restlessness that swelled inside me. Micah was right. Wolves mated for life, and I knew in my bones that Celeste was my mine. She had loved me once, as devotedly as I had loved her. She had known me better than

anyone except maybe Micah.

How could she not see that what I’d done had hurt me as badly as it had hurt her? How could she still refuse to see that I’d had no choice but to leave? What else did she think I could have done? Taking her with me had been impossible. It would have been the height of cruelty to show up on her doorstep without warning and rip her away from everything she had and knew and cared about. And for what? Life without your pack was dangerous and uncertain. I had no guarantees—barely even any hopes. I’d done the best I could. I still was.

It wasn’t enough, though. It had never been enough. She’d kept her distance since I got back, refusing to even consider reconciling. She’d

watched from afar as I struggled through my father’s illness and death and the chaos that followed.

And yet there was a part of me that still couldn’t wait to see her. A

stubborn, love-sick corner of my heart that was happy I’d have an excuse to be in the same room with her today, even if things were strained between us.

Regardless of what either of us wanted, she was still my mate, and the wolf inside me would never, ever deny it.

You can’t go in thinking that, I told myself. The baby has to be your priority now. No matter how much of a train wreck my relationship with

Celeste might be, the baby did not deserve to suffer for our mistakes. It needed a safe, stable, and loving home, and I was responsible for that. I wouldn’t screw it up.

I held onto the resolve as I parked and strode into the building.

Victoria knew me by name now and had my ID badge waiting. Elton was showing another couple around, and I waved to him on my way to Dr.

Carlton’s office.

Celeste was already there. “I have to use the cream you recommended religiously,” she was saying when I entered. “Or it

sometimes itches fiercely. You were right about the yoga classes, too.”

Her hand caressed her belly, and my eyes riveted to the movement. She had always been slender, but now her body looked … fuller, all around.

Her curves had softened and filled out, and there was a distinctive bump where she carried the baby. She turned her head to look at me, and all I could think of was that she actually glowed.

“Nathan,” Dr. Carlton greeted warmly. “Come and have a seat.

Celeste and I were just discussing the latest test results.”

“Is everything all right?” Anxiousness gripped my gut as I crossed the few steps and took the empty chair beside Celeste.

“It’s fine,” Celeste assured me. She was smiling, and it took me aback. She’d been so angry last time we spoke. “The baby’s been very active.”

“Really?” I couldn’t help the awe in my voice. How could I not marvel? Our baby was developed enough to be active now. And Celeste was smiling at me, everything about her genuinely cheerful.

“All tests have come back in the green,” Dr. Carlton confirmed, drawing half my attention back to her. “Size and weight are on track, and Celeste’s blood chemistry came back clean. No excess proteins or sugars

and no deficiencies. The baby’s heart rate and positioning are exactly what we’d expect at this point in gestation.”

“That’s good,” I said, overwhelmed. “That’s great, actually.” “It is,” the Doctor agreed, smiling.

“Oh!” Celeste said suddenly. She pressed her hand to her belly.

“He’s kicking.” She looked at me, and there was something almost shy in the way she caught her lower lip between her teeth. “Did you want to feel?”

“Yes!” I said immediately.

She reached out and took my hand, laying it on the taut skin of her bump. After a second, I felt an impact on my palm. I felt my eyes go round.

“He’s been like this all morning,” Celeste said fondly, looking down at where her hand rested over mine and shaking her head. “He’s going to be hell to keep up with, I can already tell.”

I felt like I’d been whacked over the head. “It’s a boy?”

She winced. “I’m sorry! I was going to ask if you wanted to know.

We just found out this morning.”

“No, I—” I caught my breath, staring at her belly as the baby kicked again. My son. I swallowed hard, emotion swamping me. “I’m glad you told me.”

“The next pack Alpha, I understand,” Dr. Carlton said.

I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat. I had a son.

I’d have loved a daughter just as much, but knowing the sex made everything instantly more real.

“You must be pleased that you can choose paint colors for the nursery now,” the doctor teased.

I laughed, trying to ignore the watery edge to it. “The nursery is done,” I confessed, finding my voice. I pretended not to notice Celeste’s instant interest or the way it made my heart leap. “Forest green and butter yellow,” I reported. “Nature colors. Neutral and soothing. At least according to everything I’ve read.”

Dr. Carlton nodded approvingly. “Wise decision,” she praised.

I bit my tongue to keep from telling Celeste she could come over

and see it if she wanted. She was happy, and I wanted to bask in it, not spoil it. She’d clearly decided to pretend that what had happened between us had never occurred, reverting to the tentative peace we’d had when we’d first

agreed to this deal. It felt like an olive branch and a fresh start. Even if it wasn’t what I wanted most, it was too precious a chance to pass up.

Very reluctantly, I withdrew my hand from her belly. “So,” I said, clearing my throat and leaning forward to prop my elbows on my knees. “Tell me about the birthing plan for our son.”