Page 38 of Wrong Number, Right Lion

Kalen stripped off his clothes, and I pulled the bedding down to expose my belly. I took deep breaths, trying to tamp down my anxiety. My gaze was on my mate as he shifted, the lion’s fur rippling over his body. His mane was gorgeous, and I thought of the long strand I’d found on my pants.

The beast padded to the side of the bed and placed his snout above me, not touching. He sniffed, and I studied his eyes. They weren’t the eyes of a wild beast but a mingling of his and Kalen’s. But I’d been thinking of the lion as a separate entity from my mate.

I reached out and brushed my fingertips over the mane. He bobbed his head, and the shared moment set my heart at ease. There was nothing to fear because Kalen said his lion adored me as much as he did.

The lion stood back and shifted, and my mate slid into bed beside me.

“I think I know the answer because I saw it in your beast’s eyes.”

Kalen’s look of anticipation accompanied him clutching both my hands. “So, is it what you were hoping for?”

“It is, and I am.”

“You are.”

“I’m so excited.” How my mood and outlook had changed in minutes. Not once did I consider I might get pregnant so quickly. I’d always thought I had years before I became a dad. But I had a little one inside me, and I was filled with joy. Kalen and I had made a baby.

“How does your lion have the skill of scenting a pregnancy and you don’t?”

My mate shrugged. “We’d have to trail back through shifter history to find that out, and it might not be possible.”

Now that it was confirmed, my nausea eased and I was eager to make plans.

“We have to live together.”

“That’s the norm.”

My place was bigger than Kalen’s, and it had the attic I used as my home office plus three bedrooms. “Are you attached to your house?”

“It doesn’t hold any special memories, so I’d be happy to sell it and move in with you or we buy a place together?”

“Oh gods, we have to tell Princess she’s going to have a sibling. I hope she won’t be jealous.”

Kalen and I shared a laugh.

“Let’s hope she grows tall and our child or children create many happy memories playing beneath her.”

I leaped out of bed. Though my stomach was still upset, I wanted to get started on our new life.

“We should spend tonight in our home so we can commemorate the day we found out we were going to be parents.”

Kalen didn’t look convinced, but he went along with it and packed a bag. We collected Princess from the porch, and I whispered to her she was going to have a baby sister or brother.

“We’re home,” I shouted as my mate drove up to the gate, as we’d collect my car from his place later.

There was so much to do, but the burst of energy I’d experienced faded and I was ready to crawl into bed. Kalen made tea and plain crackers along with fruit for me, sandwiches for him, and we ate in bed.

The next eight or so months would be busy, filled with learning to live together and preparing for a baby. I closed my eyes while considering which bedroom we should turn into a nursery.

“Green or yellow,” I mumbled as my eyes closed.

“Are you asking me my favorite color?”

“No, for the baby’s room. Or maybe a light gray.”

20

KALEN

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