Page 202 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
I let him sit in suspense for another moment or two, then I grinned because there was no way he’d be able to predict the news. “Bryn is pregnant.”
A beat passed, then another, and finally, Dom let go of his shirt and charged me. He looped an arm around my neck, holding me in a headlock.
“You’re fucking with me,” he said. “You’re not telling me I’m about to be an uncle!”
“No, it’strue,” I laughed, hooking one of my legs behind his. I leaned back, and we fell together in the grass, Dom laughing hard with me. My chest warmed and filled with pride, love, and wonder. It was such an incredible feeling.
“Night, congratulations!” he said when he finally got control of himself. “Congratu-fucking-lations!”
“Thank you.” I sat up, offering my hand to help Dom get to his feet. I hadn’t expected to end up in the grass for the second time that day, but the Fates always had their own agenda in mind.
He took my hand, and I pulled him to his feet. “How far along is she?”
“I don’t know. Bryn said she found out while I was gone. We’ll have to set up an appointment with a doctor to find out.” I paused. “Preferably a Warg doctor.”
“Oh, absolutely. I think Doc is still around.”
I nodded. If Doc hadn’t left for our territory yet, he’d be the best person to ask about Bryn, especially since he’d examined her after we rescued her from Troy. They already had a relationship.
“Tell me more, man,” Dom said. “How did Bryn take the news?”
I thought about her smile when she asked me to take a walk with her, the way she laughed when I kissed her, and the softness of her Aegean-blue eyes. My heart stuttered. I put a hand over my chest.
“She’s happy about it,” I murmured. “Excited.”
Dom grinned so hard, you’d have thoughthewas the one expecting a pup. “I’m so happy for you, Night. Truly.”
“Thanks.” I contemplated the future with a little pup running around, just as rambunctious as Dom or I had been—or maybe they’d be a quieter kid like Tavi. It warmed me, but almost immediately, Troy’s ugly mug burst into my mind, shattering the vision. “To be honest, I would’ve preferred to already be alpha of the Kings or atleasthave Troy dead at my feet before I considered starting a family.”
He nodded. “Naturally.”
“But I’m not going to let my anxieties get in the way of my and Bryn’s happiness. This is huge, but we have months until the baby comes. That should be plenty of time to get things where we want them.”
“Absolutely. We have plenty of time to get our shit in order before the little one comes. Of course, you already know I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make things as comfortable for you and Bryn as possible.”
“I do know that.” I patted his shoulder. We had to do so many things for our packs, but with good people like Dom on our side, I felt confident we could accomplish them. And if anyone tried to stand in our way, we’d have the power to take them out.
“Have you told Violet or Tavi yet?” Dom asked.
“I think Bryn is on her way to tell Tavi, if she hasn’t told her already. The only other person who knows right now is Glenda. But no, Mom doesn’t know yet. Bryn wants to know more about her birth parents, and I told her I’d ask Mom if she could help her find more information.”
“I see. So Bryn wants to know more about where she comes from before the baby gets here.”
“Exactly. She wants to know herself better, and wants to be able to tell our child about the kind of people their grandparents were. I can’t say I blame her.”
“Neither can I. A lot of wolves in our own pack were adopted by other families because of death or illness. People like you and me…we’re lucky we know anything about our parents.” He paused. “Not that you had it easy with your father.”
“No, no, I get what you’re saying.”
He seemed relieved that I wasn’t offended. “Bryn is bound to have questions and feel like some part of her is missing. There’s no telling what kind of family she could have out there or what her parents got up to in the months leading up to her birth.”
“It’s true…but I’m worried there won’t be any answers to find. I just don’t want her to be upset if we can’t get the information she feels she needs.”
“I get that. I don’t want more pain to come Bryn’s way, either. But if I were in her shoes, knowing that there’s nothing more to learn about my parents is better than living in wonder for the rest of my life.”
I nodded. “I think that’s how Bryn feels. She’d rather have some answers than nothing at all.” And I knew I would be there for her, even if there were no good news. “By the way, do you have time to come over tonight for dinner? We want to celebrate, and Bryn is going to try to get Tavi to join us.”
Dom’s cedar-brown eyes had lit up at the mention of a celebration, and when he heard Tavi might be there, his face softened. I wondered if he knew how obvious his feelings for her were. “I’ll be there,” he said.
