Chapter 1. A puppy of mine and Jarl's

Two months earlier...

Katrina walks hurriedly through the corridors of the old castle towards the parking lot with the exam results in her hands.

"Slow down, Katrina. Let me catch my breath, please. It's impossible to keep up with your pace," her friend says, carrying a stack of documents and folders in both hands. "At least now you know the cause of your discomfort. Take it easy."

"I'm so excited, Amber," she responds, placing her hands on her flat belly as if she could feel the heartbeat of her puppy inside. Her friend rolls her eyes. "Can you imagine? A puppy of mine and Jarl's, the future Alpha of Alba Noctis!"

"Well, of course I can imagine," her friend approaches her and also places her hand on her belly, trying to feel the same thing Katrina is feeling, but without success. "That's what can happen when you have relations with your mate, right?"

Amber quickly removes her hand from her belly as if something is burning her, then continues walking while Katrina looks at her with a furrowed brow and her hands on her hips.

"You're not understanding anything, friend," Katrina says, and Amber nods. "It's a blessing for the pack, their future Alpha."

"That's true," Amber abruptly stops, causing her friend to collide with her and some folders to fall to the ground. "Many couples spend years trying to have a puppy, but..."

"But?" Katrina bends down to pick up what fell and put it back in place. "Just say whatever you have to say, friend. I'm ready to receive your pessimism, as always."

"But not you, Katrina. You know Jarl well, and I know him well too. We both know what he thinks about having a puppy. That man seems to hate the little ones."

"Just because he doesn't like puppies doesn't mean he won't like one that's his and mine, Amber."

"Oh, dear friend! You're too innocent. Sometimes I fear I'll become the same by being stuck to you all day," Katrina scratches her head without understanding the message her friend is trying to convey. "That man doesn't want anyone but himself! What makes you think he'll be happy that you're pregnant? They had sex only once in the six months they've been married. He'll think you're cheating on him."

The footsteps of both women echo in the empty parking lot at this hour as they argue about Katrina's pregnancy.

"It's because we're still young, friend, plus he believes that a child can prevent us from evolving. However, that doesn't have to be the case. Any effort can be worth it in the end. We can be good leaders for the pack and parents, despite everything."

"If that's what you believe..." Amber replies, taking the car keys from Katrina's hand. She turns around and looks at the old and rusty car with resignation and great disappointment. The only daughter of the Alpha of Alba Noctis pack, owner of the most renowned restaurant chain in Brazil, moving around in an old and rusty car, while her half-sister and stepmother enjoy a brand-new SUV and live the high life, with jewelry and luxurious dresses. Is Katrina a fool? Of course she is.

"Have you thought about how you're going to break the news to your grumpy mate?" Amber asks once they take the main avenue to head to the Grimlore mansion.

The Grimlore family mansion is approximately thirty minutes away from the Alba Noctis pack's castle, where both of them work in administration. They have known each other since they were very young because Amber's mother was one of the omegas in charge of cleaning Katrina's house. Then, when Katrina's mother died in a surprise attack by enemy packs and her father reunited with Lorena, both Amber's mother and she were kicked out of the Grimlore mansion and sent to serve the poorest members of the pack.

Katrina and Amber never separated despite this and would meet occasionally in the forest where nobody could see them. They both have been working part-time at the castle for two years now, and now that Katrina is married, they can see each other whenever they want while her husband is working in the offices. Well... her husband is always working, and if he isn't working, he always says he is.

"I'm going to prepare a very nice surprise for him. I'll go see him at the Sofisthy offices and give him the news," she says with a special sparkle in her eyes and placing her hands on her flat belly.

Katrina goes home after dropping her friend off at her apartment just a few blocks away and immediately heads to the kitchen.

Today she plans to prepare the beef soup that her husband loves so much and surprise him. The housemaids start murmuring in confusion as they see her put on an apron and start gathering the ingredients.

"Are you looking for something, Mrs. Katrina?" Sara, a beta who is the housekeeper of the house and has been Jarl's nanny since he was one year old, asks. When they moved to this mansion after getting married, Jarl decided to bring her to organize the house and take care of all the servants. The older woman looks at Katrina with some distrust. "If you tell me what you want to do, I can ask the maids to do it."

Sara has never treated Katrina well, and in fact, neither have any of the employees Jarl hired for the house. Since they got married, her life is not better than what she had at the Alba Noctis castle, and all the employees here ignore her most of the time, even though she is the lady of the house and the future mate of the pack when Jarl is named Alpha. Still, she prefers to think that it's just a process and that eventually they will start to care for her.

"I'm going to prepare a meal for my husband," Sara lets out a giggle that Katrina doesn't notice, but the other maids do and they also mock her.

Katrina doesn't pay them any more attention than they deserve. Today, she is happy and doesn't want anything to overshadow her happiness.

"Do you want any of the maids to help you?" the woman says sarcastically. "My young Jarl has a very delicate stomach. Perhaps you should let the cook handle it to make sure he doesn't get sick."

"I'll do it myself, Sara. Regardless, I appreciate your offer," Katrina responds.

Despite the beta's ill will, Katrina finishes the beef soup earlier than planned. She puts it in a container and immediately heads towards the Sofisthy.