Page 231 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
I nodded, relieved that she could empathize with my position.
“That said, from what I’ve seen of your mate, I think it’s likely that he was trying to protect you from anything that would elevate your stress too much. All mate pairings can have communication issues, especially if they bond as early in the relationship as you and Night have. The two of you didn’t go through the dating process that non-soulmate pairs go through before they decide to mate. The connection between you was so strong that the two of you just acted.”
I felt that familiar stinging sensation behind my eyes, but I didn’t have the same impulse to keep the tears from falling aroundmy mom. “Did we do all of this wrong?” I asked. “Did we mess things up?”
“Oh, honey.” She lay her hand on my knee in reassurance. “No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. All I’m saying is that you two aren’t talking things through. You need time to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses and work through them together.”
I nibbled sadly on a chip. “I feel like I put more effort into communicating.”
“You didn’t tell Night about the baby right away.”
“I wanted to make it special,” I argued. “And Ididtell him. I didn’t wait for someone else to break the news to him.”
She chuckled. “That’s true, but that wasn’t the real reason you didn’t tell him immediately. It was because you were worried about how he’d react to the news. If Night didn’t have the ability to sense you were pregnant, how long would you have waited to tell him?”
I opened my mouth to argue more, but dammit, she had a point. I had worried Night would reject me when I told him about the baby. Looking back, though, it was stupid of me to think my mate would react that way. And I would have probably waited a while to figure out how best to tell him, especially now when things were so busy.
Mom patted my knee again. “Give Night some time, Bryn. He should have told you about the hunting party, but he is an alpha and used to keeping things from the people he cares most about to protect them and the rest of his pack. It will take him a while to realize and accept that he doesn’t need to hold things back from you.”
I sniffled and wiped away a tear with the back of my hand. Mom’s words reminded me of my conversation with Dom. I appreciated that they were considering both my and Night’s perspectives. Those two were more correct than my ego was willing to admit, but I needed to let that go if I wanted to move forward with Night. He had been pulling double duty all around, and other than this secret, he was nothing short of amazing.
“You’ve given me a lot to think about, Mom. Thank you…I think,” I added jokingly.
She chuckled. “That’s what I’m here for. Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?”
I was about to say no, but then I remembered the doctor’s appointment. “Oh, I got an ultrasound at the infirmary.” As happy as I’d been to see the life growing inside me, the other stuff Dr. Stan told me brought me low again. “Mom, getting to see the baby was…amazing. It’s so tiny, this life inside me.” I touched my stomach. “But Dr. Stan told me I wouldn’t be able to have more children.”
Her eyes widened, eyebrows scrunching together in alarm. “What? Why not?”
“Apparently, I only have one ovary and a low egg count.” Admitting it out loud was like a slap to the face. “I never knew about that, but Dr. Stan said I was born with this condition.”
“So you’ve had this all your life?” She slowly absorbed the news, slumping back against her chair. “Oh, Bryn, I should have taken you to get a physical when you were younger. We could have done something to try and save the eggs you had.”
I shook my head. “You can’t blame yourself, Mom. It’s not your fault. You were working yourself down to the bone to keep meclothed and fed while the rest of the pack shunned us.” I finished my chips and picked up my tea. “It’s just how things worked out.”
Mom sighed but didn’t push against my words. “I guess that means we have to treat this baby with extra special care,” she said, trying to smile. “Have you and Night given much thought about a nursery?”
I was glad for the change in subject. “Not yet. We’ve been a little preoccupied. But he’s willing to move out of the alpha cabin if I want to.”
“Oh? How do you feel about that?”
“It surprised me. The pack is his birthright, and I know having the alpha cabin means a lot. But…I’m not sure how I feel yet.”
Mom nodded for me to continue.
“The cabin has symbolic importance to the Kings, and the alpha has lived there for generations. But Night and I are trying to change so much about this pack…perhaps it’s for the better that we switch up that tradition, too. Just think about the location. It’s in a good position for the Kings to have easy access to us, but if we merge the packs, shouldn’t we think about positioning ourselves somewhere more accessible to the Wargs as well?”
"A lot of pros and cons to leaving the cabin,” Mom remarked.
“Yeah. I’m still weighing them. I need to decide soon so we can get everything ready for the baby.”
“You do, but you’ve got time, honey. You have a lot on your mind right now, so don’t stress too much about it. Whenever there’s some time for you two to address things, do it.”
I nodded and smiled. “Thanks again, Mom. I’m sorry I haven’t been by more often.”
“It’s okay, baby. I cherish every moment we get to spend together, even if some of that time is devoted to you venting about your mate.” She grinned. “I thank the Fates every day that you come to me when you need to.”
Her words were enough to make me want to burst into tears. I tried to get some control of my emotions by taking a long drink of tea.
