EVE They loved me enough to search for and track me down just to make sure I was okay.I stood up, brushing the sand off my clothes. "Why are you two just standing there? Come here already."I had promised them I'd return in a few days, but now that they were standing on the beach with those familiar, pleading, lost puppy eyes, I knew I couldn't send them away.Their faces lit up, and they pounced on me."I missed you so much," Kha murmured into my hair. "Don't ever do that again," Drake added. "We need you, Eve. We can't do this without you."I had missed them too, so much it hurt, but I couldn't let myself get swept away just yet. I needed to be strong to ensure I was ready before giving myself back to them."I'm sorry," I whispered. "I just needed some space."They didn't let go of me."Come inside," I said softly, motioning towards the cabin. "You look like you haven't eaten in days."They didn't argue. Without a word, they followed me. It made my heart ache that I had caused
EVE I was more than a little relieved as we pulled up to the Bane mansion. I couldn't figure out how to buy a pregnancy test at the pharmacy without them seeing, so we just got things to help with the nausea. The trip home after had been silent, but Kha and Drake's concern spoke louder than words. I'd scared them badly. Before I could even step out of the truck, Drake was already there. He lifted me out and carried me inside. "Alright, Eve. You'll have to tell us if we went overboard with your calm room," Drake said as they carried me through the hallways. "We aimed for peaceful, but we might have gone a bit… Uhh, extra.""You know us, always so subtle," Kha added."Extra...subtle," Drake quipped.I giggled, their teasing easing some of the anxiety that had clung to me. They were trying hard to make things right and make me feel safe. They were also getting along together so well. Despite the circumstances that brought me back, I couldn't deny how good it felt to be home with th
EVE I held the pregnancy test in my shaking hands. The two lines stared back at me, clear and undeniable. My breath caught in my throat, and I had to sit down on the edge of the bathtub, my vision swimming. Dizziness. I was so dizzy. Pregnant. The word reverberated in my mind, a steady rhythm that threatened to overpower everything else.I hadn’t let myself even consider this possibility. Sure, I had known the risks.Who wouldn’t in my situation? Two guys not wearing condoms. I was smarter than to think it would work out any other way but this.But some part of me had clung to the hope that it wouldn’t happen. That I could navigate this chaotic mess of emotions and relationships without something as irrevocable as a baby. They were werewolves. There had to be other rules here, right? But here it was, staring at me in the form of two bright pink lines.I placed my hand to my stomach, and the reality sank in deeper with every passing second.There was a life inside me. A tiny,
EVE I couldn't believe I had managed to keep the secret for a week. Each day felt like it dragged on forever. Kha and Drake, with their sharp instincts and heightened Alpha werewolf senses, should have easily noticed something was wrong. Somehow, I had managed to avoid their suspicions. They were far too scared to say or do something that would upset me. Every time they looked at me, I expected them to ask the question that would reveal everything. But they didn't. I forced myself to laugh at their jokes and smile when they looked at me, all while feeling like I was on the verge of breaking. My body felt like a battlefield, every smell making my stomach turn. I quickly learned that keeping something in my stomach was the only way to prevent the worst of it. Lemon drops and sour candies became my constant companions, tucked into every pocket like small lifesavers. I would slip one into my mouth whenever the nausea would start to surface. It helped, but the relief didn't las
EVE I stared at the man in the hallway, his presence almost overwhelming and intense instantly. He was as tall as Drake, his broad shoulders filling the space. His skin was a warm caramel, his green eyes sharp as they locked onto mine. Something shifted inside me, an unexpected pull that made my breath catch.Drake and Kha just stood beside me, totally stunned. It was rare for them both to be so speechless."Conrad Ford," he introduced himself. The first thing I noticed was the Southern drawl. The second thing was how deep his voice was. Deeper than Kha's. He extended his hand. "But you can call me Con. All my friends do."I hesitated, caught off guard by the way his pretty green eyes seemed to pierce through me. Before I realized it, I placed my hand in his. His palms were rough with calluses. He held my hand briefly, his eyes never leaving mine as he slowly smiled. "And you must be Eve," he murmured, his voice dropping even lower. "I've heard a lot about you."Kha and Drake tens
Kha's new room was just as I remembered from visiting Drake's room last year, but the space felt different tonight. More stifling. Kha dropped his bag by the door. He was highly unsettled. Drake followed us in and slammed the door. I felt caught in the middle of something much larger than I could fully understand. I stood there, trying to collect my thoughts. The encounter with Conrad had shaken me, but something else was nagging at me. I realized while I was with him, the nausea that had plagued me for days was gone entirely. I instinctively touched my stomach, frowning. How was that possible? Around Kha and Drake, I constantly battled the nausea, but with Conrad, it hadn't even crossed my mind. "Kha," I began cautiously. "Why do you two hate him so much? He seemed intense, but the way you reacted... it was like he was some kind of monster." Kha scoffed as he glanced at Drake, who had stopped pacing to listen. "Ford isn't someone to be trusted, Eve. He's dangerous." Drake a
I was lying awake, staring at the ceiling of Kha's dorm room. Sleep had been elusive all night, and my mind was stuck on Conrad Ford. His face, those striking green eyes, and the way he had looked at me. It was like a loop I couldn't escape. No matter how hard I tried to push him out of my mind, it was impossible. The nausea returned, making it hard to think clearly.The reality of my pregnancy was something I couldn't ignore, no matter how much I wanted to. The nausea was a constant reminder of the secret I was keeping from Kha and Drake. They were always watching over me, but they didn't know. How in the hell did they not know? I wasn't ready for them to know. Not yet.The day ahead loomed before me, filled with classes and inevitable encounters. With Conrad's unexpected arrival, everything felt even more complicated.Kha stirred beside me, still asleep. I envied him. I wished I could close my eyes and escape the tangled thoughts and emotions that plagued me. But I couldn't.
I lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to quiet the storm inside my head. The small dorm room felt suffocating, and the constant churn of nausea kept me rooted in place. The pregnancy felt like it was consuming me. The secret ate at me, and no matter how much I tried to distract myself, Conrad's face wouldn't leave my mind. It was like he had imprinted himself there or something.I was supposed to go to class, but the thought of sitting through lectures while my stomach twisted was unbearable. Exhaustion weighed me down, and before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep.When I woke, it was mid-afternoon. I had missed my class. The clock on my phone mocked me, reminding me of the hours I had lost. As did the 25 messages from Drake and Kha. My stomach tightened not just from missing class but from the growing frustration that everything felt out of my control again already. I sat up slowly, the nausea threatening to return, trying to gather myself.A knock on my door jarred me.
DRAKE The stadium roared with energy, the stands packed with students, parents, and alumni, ready for the season's first game. Eve and I sat near the middle. I glanced at her, her bright blue eyes fixed on the field, her lips tight as she scanned the players."Kha's still safety, right?" she asked, her voice quieter than usual, her nerves showing."Yeah, and Con's the quarterback this year," I confirmed. "Con played well last season, so he'll probably dominate. I was watching his highlight reels, and I'm impressed."Eve bit her lip, her hands gripping the edge of the seat. Her anxiety was obvious. Every time Con or Kha got the ball, her whole body stiffened like she was bracing for impact herself."Are they always this intense?" she asked, her eyes following Kha as he positioned himself for the next play."Yeah," I shrugged, glancing at her. "You'll get used to it. Con especially. He lives for this stuff."Just as I spoke, Con took the snap, dropping back to pass. Kha darted across t
EVE He pulled the towel off of my body as he positioned me on the bed. He got up to lock the door, and I couldn't help but watch him, appreciating how much care he took in everything he did these days. He may have been rubbing off on Drake, but Drake was doing the same in return. When he closed his eyes briefly, I spoke up, "Rissa won't come back anytime soon. She's in class." He looked back at me with a small smile. "I just wanted to make sure," he replied before returning to the bed. As he climbed back onto the bed, the playfulness in his eyes was unmistakable. It reminded me of the first time we were together, how he both treated me with gentleness and teased me throughout. He started tracing my breast, circling my nipple before lightly tugging on the ring. The sensation made me arch my back slightly, pressing into his touch. He smiled at me, and then he leaned down, kissing my nipple before looping his tongue through the ring. I couldn't hold back the loud moan, my hips i
EVE I saw Kha lingering outside the locker room and pulled him aside. His posture was tense, and his usual confidence was absent. I didn't want him to go back in there, not after everything that had happened."Kha, let's just go," I urged. "I don't want to wait for you to change."He looked down at me, the stress in his shoulders easing slightly. "Sure," he agreed, though I sensed some hesitation. "What about Drake? I drove here with him in his truck."I frowned, realizing this could complicate things. Drake and I already had our moment. It was Kha's turn now. I needed some time alone with Kha, away from all the tension building up. "Let him know we're leaving. I'll call for an Uber."Kha nodded and jogged over to Drake, who was sitting nearby. I watched as they exchanged a few words, with Kha gesturing in my direction. Drake looked concerned but didn't argue. He just nodded, and Kha headed back to me.While waiting for the car, I decided to text Con. I didn't want him worrying or wo
EVE The day with Conrad was easy, almost too easy. After the morning's chaos, it was strange how simple everything felt when just the two of us were in his room. We didn't do much. We just hung out, letting the hours slip away without worrying about what was happening outside those walls. He was easy to be around, and the stress that usually came with Kha and Drake was nowhere to be found. It was a relief, even if I felt guilty for enjoying it.As the afternoon crept closer to practice time, I realized I needed to change clothes. My usual routine of heading to my room was out of the question. I couldn't bear the thought of running into Kha or Drake or them getting updates from pack members after everything that had happened. They were probably still fuming, and I wasn't ready to face that just yet."I need to change," I said, glancing at the time. "But I don't want to go to my room."Con nodded, understanding immediately. He got up from where he was sitting and rummaged through a d
DRAKE Kha and I sat in silence, both of us trying to calm down after the near fight that had driven Eve away. My chest still burned with frustration, and I could see the strain in Kha's every movement. We'd almost come to blows, and the close we'd come to tearing each other apart made me sick. We both knew better. But knowing better hadn't stopped us. "She's not in her room," Kha muttered. "How do you know?" I asked. After everything that just happened, the thought of her being alone right now was agonizing. I was about to chase her down if we didn't figure out where she was. Command be damned. "Rissa just told me," he replied through gritted teeth. "She checked. Eve didn't go back to her room." It hit me. I knew where she had gone. There was only one place she would feel safe after what had happened. "She's with Ford." Kha didn't say anything at first, but I could see the fear in his eyes. "Of course she is," he finally said. "Why wouldn't she go to him? He's perfect fo
CONI couldn't believe she was here, lounging on my bed like it was the most natural thing in the world. After breakfast, I thought she'd stick with Kha and Drake, but she came to my room instead. She didn't hesitate, didn't second-guess it. Once I got her to calm down, she just walked in and made herself comfortable. Now, she was stretched across my bed, propped up on her elbows, watching me work on her bracelet. I wasn't even trying, yet she seemed drawn to me, like some invisible force kept pulling us together. She looked so calm and at ease in my room, and I wondered how she fit here so perfectly.I focused on weaving together a couple of leather bands with orange glittery strings. I laid the materials on the desk.She tilted her head. "Where do you keep orange glitter clothing?" she teased.I smiled. "They're from my old jersey from my last college. It became my good luck charm after a while, and I thought it might also bring you some luck."She narrowed her eyes slightly, not
EVE We headed to Kha's room after breakfast, and I knew why. Because Drake's room was directly beneath Con's.As soon as we entered the room, I sighed heavily, knowing what was coming."Just get it out," I said, bracing myself.Kha and Drake exchanged a look, biting back their words. I could see the storm brewing in their eyes, but they were holding back. I wasn't going to let them stew in their frustrations all day, not when I could feel their emotions swirling around us, threatening to suffocate me."No," I insisted. "You're not stewing in this all day. Get it out. Now."That was all it took. The dam broke, and it all came pouring out. Drake started. "We're upset, Eve. This whole thing with Ford... it's driving us crazy. We're jealous, okay? We don't like the way he looks at you, the way he's always there, always perfect. It's like he's this perfect guy for you, and we're scared. We're scared you'll want him more than us."Kha jumped in, his emotions even more raw than expected. "
EVE I woke up feeling queasy, but I pushed through it, determined to start the day on a good note. Kha, Drake, and I headed to the dining hall for breakfast. The usual smells hit me like a freight train, and I had to swallow hard to keep the nausea at bay. I tried to focus on the conversation with Kha and Drake, but ignoring the churning in my stomach was hard.I was picking at my food when I saw Conrad walk in. My stomach clenched harder, but it wasn't just the nausea this time. Something compelled me to move, to go to him. I stood up, ignoring the questioning looks from Kha and Drake, and walked over to Conrad.Before I could even speak, Conrad's hand found my arm, his touch steadying me almost instantaneously. The nausea vanished, and I felt clear-headed for the first time that morning. Without thinking, I invited him to join us once he got his food. But it wasn't just an invitation. It was a command. I realized what I'd done the moment the words left my mouth, but it was too
CONRAD I didn't plan on kissing her. Hell, I wasn't even sure how we ended up so close that it happened. But when it did, everything changed. The moment our lips touched, it was like something inside me shifted. I finally understood why those two guys were so damn obsessed with her. The connection between us was intense and something I couldn't shake even after it ended.I would do anything to kiss her again. The spark, the way it made me feel...I couldn't even put it into words. It was more than just a physical connection. It was like a piece of her had lodged itself inside me, and I didn't want to let it go.The fact that she was pregnant, something that had always made me hesitant, suddenly didn't matter. The baby was a part of her, and that was enough for me. Realizing that what had kept me from taking things further with her was now irrelevant should have been unsettling. But it wasn't.Instead, it felt like everything was falling into place, like this was where I was supposed