Next chapter will be Taryn's POV! If you're enjoying the story, please remember to vote or leave a review of the book! Lots of love, Allie
TARYN POV “These are prenatal vitamins. You need to take one with food every day. If they’re too much to deal with — you know, because of morning sickness — we can look at trying a gummy vitamin or a powder option that you blend into a smoothie, but Dr. Russo recommends at least trying the pill form first.” I nod and take the bottle of vitamins from the nurse, adding them to the bag she brought me. It’s filled with brochures and pamphlets about prenatal care and tests, and a special werewolf prenatal care packet that is filled with information specific to werewolf pregnancies. “Dr. Russo wants to see you again in a few days to review the results of the blood work — the sex of the baby and its alpha blood status, plus anything else we find. And then you’ll come in every four weeks until you’re twenty-eight weeks pregnant, then every other week until you’re thirty-six weeks pregnant, and then every week until you deliver.” I nod again. I have said little since she came back to discha
TARYN POV The snowfall continues, growing heavier by the minute, layering atop the already snow covered grounds and trees of Crescent Lake, painting everything pure white. It’s so thick, I can’t even see through it to the lake. Not that I’m paying much attention right now. I’m too busy drowning in my swirling thoughts that mirror the storm outside. Wesley said the Silver Ridge packhouse suffered pretty severe damage from the fire, but they won’t know the full extent until they can examine everything once the storm passes. I thump my head against the back of the less than comfortable brown couch in the guest suite they’ve offered me for the time being. There is a bag of clothing Haven gathered for me from pack members, but I don’t have the energy to look through it yet. I’m still in the T-shirt and sweatpants the hospital gave me to change into. And I have yet to take stock of the supplies and food she said the pack’s hospitality team placed in the small kitchen of the suite. Instea
TARYN POV When my eyes open again, I’m alone in the bed, curled up in the spot Reid slept in, my face buried into his pillow. I pop up, my eyes searching the room, scanning it to find any trace of him. I vaguely remember curling into his side at some point during the night, sort of recall his arms wrapping around me and holding me as we both drifted back to sleep. But the bathroom light is off, and the only hint he was even here is his black blanket still on the bed, his shirt on the armchair in the corner, and the lingering scent of him on the bedding and in the air. The frosty morning air nips at my skin as I leave the bed, my bare feet padding across the hardwood flooring. I snatch his blanket off the bed and wrap it around my shoulders, leaving the room bundled in his cozy scent. As soon as I enter the hallway, the scent of pancakes cooking fills my nostrils, mixed with Reid’s full scent and freshly brewed coffee. I peek my head into the kitchen. And there is Reid, his sweatpan
TARYN POV His growl shifts, the tension in his body switching from anger to something else. Something equally dangerous, but not because he might hurt me. No, dangerous because of how my body and my wolf respond to every movement, sound, and nuance of emotion coming from him. Dangerous because I know I’ll never be able to resist him when he’s like this. Dangerous because I already find myself thinking of other things I can do to bring out this dominance and possessiveness in him again. “Get on the counter,” he orders, his hands sliding up my sides and under the shirt I’m wearing. The fabric glides over my skin, followed by his hands that leave goosebumps wherever they touch. My arms lift without a thought, and then the shirt is up and over my head in an instant, tossed on the counter behind me. My heart pounds, my breathing heavy as his eyes travel down from my face, reaching my breasts at the exact moment his hands do. He cups them from below, his thumbs brushing over my nipples.
REID POV “Remind me again why we’re outside in the snow?” Taryn asks, her arms crossed against the wind, her body bundled up in a dark green down coat, a tan satin lined beanie with flecks of color — like little sprinkles on a cupcake — atop her head to protect her braids. “Because it’s Winter Wonderland Day,” I reply. And because I need you out of the guest suite while hospitality sets up everything for the rest of our day. “But it’s a snowstorm.” “Oh, come on, Cadet. It’s not that bad right now!” I say, looking around at the heavy snowfall. Okay, so it may be coming down a little harder than just a regular snowy day, even for us as shifters. Especially for someone who came from Southern California and is used to beaches and temperate weather. But my little warrior looks so cute with her grumpy face and puffy jacket and with snowflakes dusting the lengths of her braids. She just stares at me, then turns on her heel and starts towards the house. But I grab her hand and snap her
REID POV We make our way back inside and down the hall to her guest suite on the first floor, and I mindlink Haven on our way. “Is everything ready?” I ask. “Yes. The hospitality team just let me know they completed all your requests. Now I better not hear from you again until Taryn has accepted you and you’re both marked.” She cuts the link before I can even reply, and I bite back a laugh. For someone so unsure of whether they would be a “good luna”, she sure slid into the role with more ease than a female wolf raised to think they would end up as someone’s luna. Further proof she was made for Wesley. Made to be our pack’s luna. “So, what’s next on the agenda for ‘Winter Wonderland Day?’” Taryn asks as we reach the door to her suite. She has her coat draped over her arm and the beanie in her hand, her other hand clasped within mine. The spare clothes from the backpack I brought outside with us hang off her body, hiding any hint of her curves and her muscles, and my wolf grumbles
TARYN POV Quiet. Peaceful. Tranquil. Those are the words I would use to describe Crescent Lake’s packhouse in the early hours of the morning, before anyone is up and about, even with half of Silver Ridge in their midst. The calm settles into me, reaching out and soothing my racing and aching heart and my spiraling mind. Even with the restful night of sleep in Reid’s arms, my worries and anxiety returned full force as soon as I opened my eyes. Not even his touch and scent settled my frazzled nerves, so I’d climbed out of bed with him still asleep, and left him a note, telling him where I went. We’d spent a beautiful day together yesterday; him revealing many sides of himself in less than a twenty-four-hour period, showing me how life with him will be — fun, playful, sexy, and full of love. And now it’s my turn to show him all of me. I descend the last step to the basement, where Luna Haven said I could find a small indoor gym space with treadmills, and make my way down the long, na
REID POV Karma is a funny thing. Sometimes it works in our favor, and other times, it works against us. This morning it is not working in my favor. The bed is empty, and Taryn is nowhere in sight, and I know this is payback for me leaving the bed before she woke up yesterday morning. “I knew I should have stayed in bed with her instead of making breakfast,” I grumble, rubbing my eyes with my palms. I sit up and swing my legs over the edge of the mattress, stretching my neck as I do, and I spy a bright yellow sticky note on the lamp. I snatch it off and my eyes zip over each letter of her handwriting, my wolf pushing forward as her scent floats from the paper and into my nose. I’m going to the gym down in the basement. I will be back soon. Love, Cadet Taryn Love. She wrote “love.” Does she mean that? Or is it similar to how girls will say “love ya!” to each other when saying goodbye? Or am I overthinking the whole thing? I stand from the bed and stretch my arms above my head,