Page 74 of Whisker me Away
"Like people," Elena murmured, her hands glowing with soft green light as she settled the moonflower into enriched soil. "We have to be strong in ourselves before we can help our communities."
"Exactly." Pride swelled in Freya's chest as she watched Elena work. The analogy wasn't one they'd explicitly discussed, but seeing her student make those connections independently meant the deeper lessons were taking root.
Their teaching center had grown beyond anything Freya had imagined when they'd first renovated the old Grange Hall. What started as a simple herbalism program had evolved into something closer to a magical academy, with students traveling from across the Blue Ridge Mountains to learn not just botanical techniques but the philosophy of community service that made Hollow Oak special.
"Miss Freya," called James from across the garden where he worked with two newer students on protective ward cultivation. "Can you look at these barrier roses? Something feels off about the magical resonance."
"Coming." She squeezed Elena's shoulder encouragingly before making her way to where James knelt beside a row of flowering bushes that were meant to form living protective barriers around homes and businesses.
The roses looked healthy enough to casual observation, but when Freya extended her magical senses, she immediately understood James's concern. The plants were trying too hard, pushing themselves beyond sustainable growth in an attempt to please their cultivators.
"What do you think is happening here?" she asked instead of immediately providing the answer, watching James's face as he considered the problem.
"They're... overeager?" He touched one of the blooms gently, his magic probing with the careful attention she'd taught him. "Like they're responding to our anxiety about getting it right instead of our actual intentions."
"Good. And how do we fix that?"
"Ground ourselves. Center our energy. Let them feel our calm instead of our worry." James's voice carried growing confidence as he worked through the solution. "Plants mirror our emotional state more than our conscious desires."
"Perfect. Show the others."
As James began guiding the newer students through grounding exercises, Freya felt that familiar surge of satisfaction that came from watching knowledge take root and flourish. This was what she'd been meant to do. Not just grow things herself, but help others discover their own capacity for nurturing magic.
"You're glowing again," Kieran's voice carried from the garden gate where he stood watching her work with obvious pride. "That happy witch glow that means you're exactly where you belong."
"Am I?" She rose from beside the roses, brushing soil from her hands as she moved toward him. "I thought that was just normal post-wedding bliss."
"That too." His grin was warm with affection and something else, something that made her pulse quicken with anticipation. "But this is different. This is you being brilliant at something you love."
The past months had brought changes she couldn't have imagined when she'd nervously opened Bloom & Blossom's doors. Their consulting work had expanded beyond Hollow Oak to include communities throughout North Carolina and Virginia, with requests coming in faster than they could handle. Just last week, they'd returned from helping a pack in Tennessee whose territory had been affected by magical drought, and next month they were scheduled to assist a coven in Georgia with curse-breaking.
But the real transformation had been in their daily life together. The tentative partnership that had begun during crisis had deepened into something playful and profound, filled with shared jokes, comfortable silences, and the kind of domestic harmony that made even mundane tasks feel like celebrations.
"Speaking of being where we belong," Kieran continued. His tone held a note of nervous excitement that made her lookat him more closely. "I have something to tell you. Something important."
"Good important or crisis important?" She moved closer. "Because if we have another magical emergency, I need at least ten minutes to finish with the students."
"Definitely good important." He caught her hands, his touch warm and slightly trembling. "Life-changing important."
"Kieran, you're making me nervous. Just tell me."
"You're pregnant."
The words hung in the garden air like magic themselves, carrying weight that made Freya's world tilt sideways.
"I'm... what?" She pressed a hand to her stomach, suddenly hyperaware of her body in ways she hadn't been moments before. "How do you know that? I haven't even suspected..."
"Tiger senses." His grin was soft with amazement. "I caught the scent change this morning when you were getting dressed. Had to double-check with my enhanced hearing, but yeah. There's definitely a tiny heartbeat in there."
"A baby." The reality of it was still sinking in, bringing with it a rush of emotions so complex she could barely sort them out. "We're having a baby."
"We are." Kieran's hands moved to frame her face, his touch gentle as he studied her expression. "How do you feel about that?"
"Terrified. Ecstatic. Completely unprepared." She laughed shakily, tears starting to stream down her cheeks. "Like my entire life just changed again in the best possible way."
"Good, because I've already started making lists of things we need to do to keep you both safe. Magical protections for the cottage, dietary adjustments to support shifter pregnancies, consultations with practitioners who specialize in mixed supernatural births..."
"Kieran." She pressed her fingers to his lips, stopping the nervous flow of planning. "Breathe. We have months to figure all that out."
