Page 59 of Rejected and Pregnant By the Alpha
“No, we’re not,” Claira agrees with a sigh, running a hand through her hair. “But it was fun pulling a fast one on the hunters,” she adds.
“Now, back to business,” he calls out, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. “We need to make sure that our wolves know their role in this operation. We can’t afford a single mistake if we are to make it out alive,” he continues, and the room turns solemn.
“Mikos and Aidan are already working as a team, explaining the route we are taking tomorrow night at eight o’clock sharp,” I state, looking over at Aileen. “Your coven members will be arriving tomorrow at noon for final preparations, right?” I ask her.
“Yes. My second is bringing my more experienced vampires, as the fledglings will only hinder our operation at the smell of blood. We are still weaning them off human blood and onto animal blood, even though it’s been a few decades,” Aileen answers with a sigh.
“Wait, your coven doesn’t drink human blood?” Sabrina asks, her eyes wide with surprise.
“No,” Aileen replies, looking at the human with a gentle gaze. “You see, the fledglings in my coven were those attacked by other vampires around Ottawa. They would have died if I hadn’t stepped in and asked them if they wanted to be turned.”
Julian lets out a low whistle, impressed by Aileen’s compassion. My friend then explains that sometimes these fledglings were already introduced to animal blood to sustain their lives, but some had caught a whiff of human blood a few decades ago and had gone on a feeding spree. This was during the Great Depression, which is why so many had died on the streets. Given the state of the country at the time, humans chalked it up to those found dead being malnourished.
Aileen and her second had hunted down all the fledglings, bringing them home to their coven and imposing strict rules on them. A few have slowly recovered from their cravings for human blood, converting to a diet of only animal blood, but many still struggle against the urge to feed on humans.
“Will Miella be part of this group?” I ask, excited to see the vampire who happened to be my mentor in college.
“She will be on the condition that you give her a tour of your company. She is excited to see what you have built since being a student in her college class.” Aileen turns her attention to me, and I grin, catching Claira letting out a small cheer as well.
“Well, there isn’t much planning left to do now,” Julian says, taking my hand in his. “We know the routes we are taking, who will be in each team, and the timeframe we plan to complete this operation. Now all we can do is go to bed and try to get some rest,” my mate states.
I agree, telling everyone to get some rest and that we will see them bright and early to prepare for the fight tomorrow.
Julian and I walk out of the conference room and head downstairs to the pack house foyer. The smell of cookies and hot chocolate wafts from the sitting room to the left, and as I lead Julian toward it, we find Jiya with Saben, waiting patiently for us.
“Hi, baby,” I call out, Saben looking up at me and Julian.
“Hi, Mama. Is the meeting done?” Saben asks, plopping the last bit of his cookie into his mouth.
“Yes, sweetie. We can head home now,” I answer, bending down and opening my arms.
Saben turns and hugs Jiya, thanking her for watching him before he hops off the sofa and runs into my arms. I stand, carrying Saben on my hip while turning to Jiya.
“Are you sure you will be okay watching Saben tomorrow night? I’m not sure when we will be home after the operation,” I ask the Indian woman, who just smiles.
“Yes. You know I see Saben as my grandpup and love spending time with him,” Jiya answers, rising to her feet and coming to stand before me. She places a kiss on my cheek, telling me to get some sleep before turning to Julian. “Look after them tonight,” she tells him.
“I will,” Julian promises, wrapping his arm around my waist. With a goodnight to Jiya, Julian guides me out of the pack house and toward my car. I put Saben into his car seat before closing the door and looking at Julian.
“Wanna stay the night?” I ask sheepishly, watching as surprise and then happiness spread across his face.
“I thought I was already going to stay the night,” he teases, and I roll my eyes, motioning for him to climb into the passenger seat so that I can drive to my little cottage for some much-needed sleep.
58
Julian
Looking at Hannah sleeping with her arms wrapped around Saben, I realize just how lucky I am to have gained her forgiveness and not only have my mate back but also to hold them both in my arms while they sleep. The mate bond hums with happiness, and the feeling of contentment sinks into me. I haven’t felt this calm in years. I haven’t enjoyed a moment of peace like this since I banished Hannah from the royal pack.
“Why are you still up?” I hear Hannah ask as she lets out a soft yawn.
“Because I didn’t want to miss another moment with you and Saben,” I answer, reaching out to tuck a strand of her white hair behind her ear.
She sighs, leaning into my touch without hesitation. Goddess, she looks so exhausted.
“You need sleep,” she groans, nuzzling my hand and making me smile. She used to do this when we were pups and she stayed the night by my side.
“So do you,” I counter, watching her eyes open to glare at me. Her eyes are so blue, like the deep ocean on a sunny day, and I find myself wondering what a little girl with her eyes and my hair would look like in her arms.
