Page 85 of Knocked Up By My Fated Alpha
I crossed the space between us and pulled her into my arms. Her skin was warm against mine. My hands trembled as I held her.
“You’re…” I couldn’t breathe. I almost couldn’t speak. “You’re my fated mate.”
She paused for a moment like she was coming to that realization, too. Then she nodded slowly, tears shining in her eyes. “That must be how I got my wolf back. I could feel it, you know? For a while now. Like being around you was waking something up in me.”
I pulled back just enough to see her face. And by the Goddess, she was everything. I looked down at Ivy’s body, the blood, and the crowd. Then I looked back at Raven and felt something shift in my chest. Something open.
“Being around you woke something in me, too.” My voice was low and steady, but thick with emotion. “It happens every time I’m near you. Like something in me snaps awake just because you exist.” I laughed softly, but it was bitter, almost breathless.
“I’ve been going insane, Raven. Since the moment I laid eyes on you. I think I’ve been obsessed with you without even realizing it. You’ve taken over every thought I have, every second of every day.”
I paused, my heart pounding. “I’m in love with you, Raven. I have been for a long time.”
Her eyes didn’t leave mine. Not once. Not even to blink. I went on.
“I found out Ivy was working with Rielle. They planned to trap you and enforce the duel. When I realized what was happening, that you were in danger, I nearly lost my mind.”
I shook my head, my voice cracking. “I’m sorry for every time I made you feel like you weren’t seen or heard. I’m sorry for trying to take over your choices and for acting like I knew what was best for you. That wasn’t control, it was fear. I couldn’t bear the thought of you getting hurt. That’s why I asked you to stop working. Not because I didn’t trust you, but because I know how draining pregnancy can be,and I wanted to carry every burden so you wouldn’t have to lift a single finger.”
I breathed in, steadying myself.
“I had my suspicions about Rielle. I had people watching her. Every instinct in me wanted to stand by you the moment she touched your nest. But I held back, because I needed proof. I needed to be sure before I moved, and I couldn’t risk raising her suspicion. And I’m sorry, Raven. I’m sorry I ever made you feel like you were the one in the wrong.”
I cupped her face, my thumb brushing a streak of dried blood from her cheek. “I don’t want to live in a world without you. You complete me, Raven.” My hand dropped to her belly. “You, and this baby. You’re everything. And I know I can be a stubborn bastard, but with you, I want to be better. You bring out the best in me.”
I swallowed thickly. “I want you, all of you. I want to spend my life with you, raise our pup with you. I want to be yours. Forever.”
Raven’s breath came fast. Her lips parted in a soft, trembling smile. Her voice cracked as she whispered, “You drive me crazy.”
A wet laugh escaped her. “You make me want to throw things half the time, but you also make me feel calm and safe, like I can breathe. And I think, no, I know I’m in love with you.”
Emotion swelled in my chest, and then I kissed her. My wolf howled within me, pure bliss and a strong sense of protectiveness overwhelming me. It wasn’t a kiss of possession. It was surrender. Everything I was, everything I had, I poured into that kiss, into the feel of her lips, the tremble of her hands, the strength of her heartbeat against mine.
Her fingers gripped my arms, holding on like she’d fall without me. But something was wrong. Her breathing hadn’t slowed. Her hand moved shakily to her belly. She pulled back from the kiss, a sound escaping her throat, half gasp, half groan.
My hands caught her shoulders. “Raven?” Her face contorted, and she grabbed my arm hard. “I think,” she whispered, her voice strangled. “I think the baby’s coming.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Raven
Nala’s tiny fingers curled tightly around mine, soft and impossibly small. She slept soundly, her breaths slow and even, her delicate lashes resting against her cheeks. I stood beside her crib in the quiet of our room, unable to look away.
The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting golden streaks across the walls. Outside, birds chirped faintly. Peaceful. It had been two weeks since she was born. And every time I looked at her, it still didn’t feel real.
I could not believe there had been a time when I thought about an abortion, when everything felt too heavy, too dangerous, and too uncertain. There were days when I stared at my stomach and wondered if it would be kinder if I just let it go.
But now, with her hand wrapped around my finger and her lips puckering softly in sleep, the very thought hollowed me out with guilt. She was perfect, so full of life, and so fierce already.
My Nala. She stirred, letting out a soft sigh before settling again.
My chest swelled with something bigger than pride. It was love. Raw. Total. Unconditional. It was the kind that rewired everythinginside me, the kind that made me want to fight every battle all over again just to make sure she stayed safe.
And gods knew how many people tried to make sure she never took a breath. Ivy… Elias… Rielle. Their faces flickered through my mind like ghosts I hadn’t buried yet. They had all, in their own twisted ways, tried to destroy me and her. But they failed. Now, she was here, alive, breathing, and strong.
I brushed my knuckle along Nala’s cheek, watching her nose twitch in her sleep. Behind me, the door creaked open. Warm arms slid around my waist, firm and sure. Damien’s chest pressed to my back as he pulled me into him, his breath warm against my neck. He kissed the spot just below my ear, slow and unhurried.
“Hey,” he murmured. I leaned into him without thinking, resting my head against his shoulder.
