Avenger(6)

“Oh my God,” I gasped. “That’s horrible!”

“I think that’s why Nolan left,” he mused.

“Because he fell in love with a human?” I questioned.

He nodded, looking at me between his long black lashes. “He was always a rebel,” he fought a smile.

“Still, they’d kill him because he fell in love with a human? That’s just…so wrong.”

“Each shifter community has its own set of elders and they’re all stuck in the past. It’s like they’ve forgotten what it’s like to be young,” he mused.

“There’s so much I don’t know,” I whispered sadly, rubbing a finger over his collarbone.

“You’re better off not knowing, Soph,” his fingers tangled in my hair and he forced me to look at him.

“It isn’t fair for you to decide that for me,” I frowned. “I’m your wife, Caeden, but I’m also an Alpha too. I need to know these things. Not knowing them makes me vulnerable, and I don’t think you want that.”

A wrinkle creased between his brows and I leaned forward to kiss it away.

“You’re right,” he breathed, kissing my neck. “You’re always right.”

“Of course. I’m brilliant,” I laughed—one of the first genuine bouts of laughter I’d had since Logan died.

“I’ve missed that,” Caeden reached to cup my cheek.

“What?”

“Your laugh…your smile,” he brushed his thumb over my bottom lip. “I hate seeing you sad and not being able to do anything about it.”

I frowned. “You do everything.” And that was the truth. Caeden didn’t realize how much he helped me by just being him. He was my rock. He kept me grounded and sane. Did I get mad at him? Sure. But I knew he’d always be there for me, we were mates after all. Caeden understood me, though, the good and bad parts.

“Hey,” he said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“What?” I blinked my eyes, trying to focus on what he was saying.

“Where’d you go? You kinda blanked out on me,” he chuckled, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

“Sorry,” I shook my head, gazing down at the sheets, “I was just thinking about us.”

“Oh, really,” he chuckled, nibbling on my chin.

“Mhmm,” my eyes closed and I leaned towards him.

“Good things, I hope,” he whispered huskily as his lips grazed my ear. Two minutes ago we’d been talking about the crappy elders and now all I could think about was losing myself in his love and warmth.

“Always,” the word left my lips on a breathy sigh. He peppered kisses along my jaw and down my neck. “Caeden,” I breathed, my fingers tangling in his wavy hair.

“Come here,” he growled low in his throat, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me onto his lap. His lips covered mine and I let him take away all my fears and doubts with his touch.

* * *

“I love you,” Caeden nuzzled my neck, pulling me against him.

“I love you too,” I giggled, trying to pull out of his embrace, “but we really need to get dressed to get to the doctor’s in time.”

“I know,” he kissed my lips and released me.

I returned to searching through the closet for something to wear.

“I can’t believe we get to hear that baby’s heart today,” he smiled at me. “That seriously blows my mind.”

I nodded in agreement. Hearing and seeing the baby would make it even more real. A part of me still couldn’t believe that in a matter of months, we’d have a baby to hold. It blew my mind.

Unfortunately, I felt like I couldn’t really enjoy my pregnancy. We had so much to worry about with Travis and the mutants. I wanted him dead before the baby came. No way was I having a baby with Travis still posing a threat. I’d rip him apart limb by limb—

“Sophie?” I shook my head as Caeden’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I forced a smile. “Just thinking about the baby.”

His grunt told me he didn’t believe me, but he decided not to pester me about it.

Pulling on a shirt, I turned to face him. “I meant what I said last night. We do this together. Let me help you.”

“I know you meant it,” he bent and kissed the top of my head. “And I understand where you’re coming from. Locking myself in my office and reading The Legends over and over again, isn’t going to solve anything. Two brains are better than one,” he winked at me.

“Or three if you let Nolan help,” I pointed out. “Even more if you asked our pack to help you.”