Alpha's One Night Bride
Alpha’s One Night Bride – Chapter 20

“Oh my god!! You’re what?” Jessica cooed on the other end of the phone.

“Pregnant…” I told her, my voice sounding hollow. “I haven’t been feeling well lately. I thought it was something I ate. But then this morning, I couldn’t transform.”

“Arina! That’s huge news!!” Jessica screamed happily. My fingers were trembling as I gripped the phone, and I was trying to hold back the tears that wanted so desperately to fall from my eyes.

“I haven’t even told Jonathan yet,” I breathed.

“What? Why not? He’s going to be thrilled,” she assured me.

“But what if he’s not? It’s too soon. I don’t think either of us is ready yet,” I told her.

With the way things are going currently, with Rock and my job, adding a baby to the mix seems like a lot. But Jessica seems so happy and so sure that Jonathan would be thrilled. So maybe she was right.

“I think you’re wrong. I think a baby is exactly what you both need! You love each other and you want to make a happy home. What better way than with a baby.”

She had a point. Plus, it’s not like I had much of an option now. I had to tell Jonathan one way or another.

“Please don’t say anything to anyone,” I asked of her.

“Of course not!” She cooed excitedly. I forced a chuckle as I hung up the phone.

“Don’t say anything about what?” Jonathan asked as he joined me in the living room. I hadn’t expected him to be home. I was curled up on the couch with my phone still fresh in my hands as I ended the conversation with Jessica.

He was eyeing me suspiciously, folding his arms across his chest. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. He waited patiently for me to gain enough courage.

“Um…” I began slowly. Looking down at my stomach, my face fell slightly.

He took a step back, following my gaze.

“Arina… are you…?” He tried to say but his words drifted off.

“I’m pregnant,” I finished for him.

For a long while, we stayed there staring at one another. His face was hard to read. I couldn’t tell if he was happy, sad, scared, or furious. He was expressionless.

“Say something…” I finally said; my voice breaking through the silence like a knife. “I know it’s too soon but…”

“We are going to have a baby?” He finally whispered. This time I couldn’t keep the tears away. They broke free from my eyes and began running down my face. Walking towards me he scooped me up into his arms and held me tightly. My head pressed against his chest and his fingers entangled in my messy curls. “We are going to have a baby!” He said again, but this time it sounded different. Looking up at him I noticed the smile he had on his face and the tears he had in his own eyes.

They were happy tears.

He was happy.

No.

He was thrilled.

Spinning me around the room he began laughing, which made me laugh slightly.

“We are going to have a baby!!” He repeated louder.

“You’re happy?” I asked him, tears still springing from my eyes.

“Happy? Are you kidding me? Arina, this is all I’ve ever wanted. To have a family with you and now it’s finally happening. I couldn’t be any happier if I tried,” he laughed, pressing his lips against mine.

“I’m so relieved,” I chuckled into his k**s.

“Don’t ever be afraid to tell me things, Arina,” he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes, breathing in his scent and taking in his illuminating aura. “I’ll call Dr. Beverly and try to get you in this afternoon. Is there anything you need for right now?” He asked.

I shook my head as he left the room.

…

Dr. Beverly’s office was just right outside of town. It was a small white building, which appeared to be a lot bigger on the inside. Upon entering was the waiting room; it had a few chairs set up around a television along with a couple of couches and love seats. On the far-left side of the room was a small brick fireplace, where we could hear the cracking and sizzling of the fire burning. The floors were hardwood and looked to be made from an oak tree with the designs and coloring resembling the oak tree in Ironclaw. The large windows that overlooked Sabrebite, were covered with brown curtains that matched the wooden interior.

The round receptionist’s desk was sitting in the center of the waiting room. She had papers scattered across her area. Multiple colored sticky notes were plastered everywhere, including on her computer. She had piles of folders sitting next to her and pens laying out everywhere besides her little purple penholder.

The receptionist was a petite older woman wearing a white floral blouse and black dress pants. Her hair was an auburn, which reminded me grossly of Dorie’s hair. This woman’s hair was curly and thrown up in a bun. She wore purple glasses that matched the purple in her long-manicured nails. She wore a little bit of pink blush on her high cheekbones and a light pink lipstick, which brought some color to her fair features.

As we approached her, she was typing something on her computer but stopped immediately once we entered. She batted her long lashes and her hazel eyes met mine beneath her glasses.

“Why hello there,” she greeted us.

“Elizabeth,” Jonathan greeted her. She smiled and turned back to her computer.

“I’ll check you in right now and let her know that you are here,” she informed us. “Please take a seat and she will be right out.”

I sat nervously on the couch so Jonathan could sit beside me. I was lucky to have him with me. He wrapped his fingers through mine and gave my hand a small squeeze. Looking at his comforting and loving gaze was reassurance enough. I knew things were going to be alright if he was with me.

It didn’t take long for Beverly to come out of her office. She wore a long white doctor’s coat with a pink blouse showing from the inside. She was a tall slender woman, also with pale features and glasses. Her hair was blonde and like Elizabeth, she had hers in a bun, except a bit messier.

She motioned for us to follow her into her office. I sat on the white bed she had made as she sat in her black desk chair. She was scanning through my charts and frowning; her eyebrows creased as she sunk further in her mind.

“Is everything okay?” Jonathan asked, after a little while of not speaking.

“She’s so young,” Beverly said, staring at me. “I will be honest with you; it’s not going to be an easy pregnancy. “

“What do you mean?” I asked her.

“There’s bound to be some complications. You aren’t at your full strength as a werewolf yet and might not be able to deflect the and/or heal the damages done during this pregnancy,” Beverly explained.

“Damages?” I asked.

“As you already know, a werewolf cub won’t be able to transform till they are 16. However, their werewolf-selves are also being created as their human forms are being created within you,” she tried to explain.

“Which means,” Jonathan says looking at me. “The baby is going to be transitioning between their human forms and their werewolf forms to fully develop. Once it’s fully developed, then it’ll stay in its human form until it’s born. Then once it turns 16, it’ll transition into the werewolf form. Then it will be able to switch back and forth.”

“So, as this baby grows inside of me… it’ll be transforming into a werewolf?” I asked, breathless.

They both nodded.

“Typically, the mother of the werewolf is much older and much stronger. Though indeed, pregnant werewolves can’t transform, they still have enough strength and power to handle the pregnancy. Their bodies can typically deflect and repair any damages done by the developing werewolf baby,” Beverly went on to say.

“But you… only be 18, are not fully developed yet. You won’t be able to deflect and repair all the damages and it might end up being fatal for you,” Jonathan said softly. Beverly nodded in agreement.

“Oh…” was all I could think to say.

…

Returning home from the doctors, I was surprised when the house filled with familiar faces. They were all there as a surprise celebration. Jessica, Jess, Erick, Gregory, Marian, and of course Anderson.

Initially, I thought it was Jessica’s doing and I almost yelled at her for going against my word and telling people of the baby. But Jonathan confessed that he was the one that called Anderson to tell him the news and it was Anderson and Marian that coordinated the small surprise get-together.

Jess brought over the food, and we gathered around the table to eat as a big family. I couldn’t have been happier, celebrating with those I love most. As scared as I was for this pregnancy, especially after what Beverly had told me, I knew I wasn’t going to face anything alone. If I had my pack, and friends from the packs around me, I knew I was going to be okay. Plus, I had Jonathan by my side and there was no stronger team.

With how happy everybody was and how stress-free the evening ended; my mind couldn’t help but drift a little bit.

Tomorrow I’m supposed to meet Boris Conway and his wife Nikini Conway at the art show, hosted by Marian. The day after tomorrow, I’m supposed to be meeting with Rock. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous for either of those. I was more nervous about Rock though. I knew it was something I would have to face eventually.

Jonathan wouldn’t let me go there alone, especially now that I’m pregnant. It’s nice knowing that I have Jonathan there to protect me. I don’t think I could face Rock alone even if I wanted to.

“Did you find out any more information about Alpha Rock?” Anderson finally asked as the evening began closing in.

It’s come to my attention that everybody in the room knew what was going on between me and Rock. We had spoken to them each individually during the investigation of my mother. They were people we could trust to talk to.

“I met his niece, Raiya,” Jonathan informed them. They all leaned in to hear him speak as though he was telling a ghost story. “In Dawngaurd, where Rock grew up.”

“He grew up in Dawngaurd?” Jessica asked.

We both nodded.

“Yeah, he didn’t want anyone knowing he grew up poor. Once he married my mother, being poor was no longer an issue,” I told them.

“Raiya… That’s Annika’s daughter, right?” Jess asked, eyeing Jonathan.

We both shot her a confused look.

“You knew her?” Jonathan asked.

“I knew of her,” explained Jess. “Emlin had told me at one point that Rock had a younger sister that he used to care for before they married. But she got pregnant by some man that Rock didn’t approve of, and they had a falling out. He hasn’t spoken to her since.”

“Unfortunately, Annika passed away years ago,” Jonathan said sadly. “But her daughter Raiya, she’s 16 now and still lives in Dawngaurd. Alone.”

“A 16-year-old living alone?” Jess asked. “What about her father?”

“She never met her father,” Jonathan told her. “She said her mother never spoke about him.”

“Things just don’t add up,” I said softly. “Do you think Annika knew what kind of man my father was?”

“We won’t know for sure,” Jonathan responded.

“What about Melissa?” Erick asked. “Do you know anything about her?”

“Besides the fact that she’s been my father’s mistress forever? Not really. I know she was jealous of my mom and now that my mom’s gone, she’s using all her stuff and acting like she is her,” I told them, bitterness leaking through my tone.

“Does he have other mistresses?” Erick asked in return.

“Probably,” I answered. It would honestly surprise me if he wasn’t having affairs behind Melissa’s back.

“It might be worth looking into who else he’s having affairs with,” Erick offered. “They might know something. If he doesn’t think they are a threat, he might have told them something. Or…”

“…Or they might have seen something,” Jonathan finished for him.

Erick nodded in agreement.

“I know a couple of ladies who might know a thing or two about who Rock is sleeping with,” Marian said with a half-smile.

Of course. Why didn’t I think of that? If anyone knows who’s sleeping with who, regardless of the pack, it’s Mallory and Lucille. Even if they don’t know, they would definitely be able to find out.

“Can we trust them?” I asked her.

“We can trust them with bare minimum information. They don’t need to know the details,” Marian answered. “I’ll talk to them and see what I can find out.”

Smiling I said, “Thank you.”

“So, when is it you face Rock?” Anderson asked.

“Sunday,” I answered.

“Let Erick and I go too. Just in case it ends up being an ambush, at least you’ll have a team. We can act as your bodyguards,” Anderson offered.

Looking over at Jonathan, he was staring amongst his friends, gratitude clear on his face.

“You’d have to stay outside because Rock won’t speak with us with you guys there,” Jonathan informed them.

They both nodded.

“Thank you so much,” I said softly, not believing what wonderful set of friends I had in front of me.

“While you’re in there talking with Rock, I can sniff around town and see if I can discover anything hidden,” Jessica offered. Looking over at her, she had a face of determination. “I mean…I’m not exactly sure what I’m looking for, but it beats doing nothing and I wouldn’t put it past Rock to be hiding something and hide it in town.”

“I’ll help you,” Jess offered her. She smiled her thanks and nodded.

“I…” I began slowly, choking back the tears that wanted to escape. “I can’t thank you guys enough for everything you are doing for me…” I stopped and looked at Jonathan. I placed my hand on my stomach and added, “For us.”

“Of course, Arina. You’re our best friends. We love you and we want to be there for you,” Jessica said softly. Grabbing onto my free hand.

Staring amongst my friends, they were all staring at us and smiling.

“And we will stop at nothing to protect you and your family,” Anderson added.

“And find out what happened to your mother,” Erick chimed in.

“It’s just as important to us as it is to you,” Jess said.

“Plus, if all goes well tomorrow,” Marian began. “I’m going to need you to stick around a little longer.”

She laughed. I laughed with her. We all laughed.

(Jonathan)

The party had ended a few hours ago; Jonathan felt lucky to have a group of friends that would stand by their side. He felt even luckier that he had such a wonderful luna by his side and now they were expecting a baby.

He thanked the moon god every day for making Arina dial the wrong number that night.

As Arina slept in their shared bed, Jonathan slipped outside in his wolf form. He didn’t want to hunt, but he needed to link with Rock before subjecting Arina to him in a couple of days. He needed to get a few things straight.

“Didn’t think I’d be hearing from you so soon,” Rock answered his calls through his mind.

“I’m afraid this isn’t a casual call,” Jonathan said back, dryly.

“Didn’t think it was,” Rock responded.

“Before I allow my luna to speak with you on Sunday, I need to make sure you aren’t planning on anything stupid,” Jonathan said to him.

“If I was, why would I tell you?” Rock asked, humor in his voice.

“I don’t expect you to. But I’m warning you. If any harm comes to Arina, I will make you into a corpse,” Jonathan threatened.

“The only thing you should be worrying about is your child to be,” Rock spoke in a dry and threatening manner. His voice darkened.

How did he know about that?

“Imagine how much an Alpha’s newborn werewolf cub is worth,” Rock added.

“What the f**k are you talking about, Rock?” Jonathan hissed.

“Don’t worry about it. I promise though, no harm will come to Arina for right now. I need her alive.”

The link disconnected, leaving Jonathan alone with his thoughts.