تسجيل الدخولTalia’s POVI looked up. Geoffrey stood there with a gift in his hand, wearing that same easy smile, acting as if he belonged. My wolf bristled within me, and I pushed back the urge to put space between us. I was the Alpha Queen now, and I would not be scared of a conniving, unruly Alpha.“Good evening, Alpha Geoffrey,” I greeted, keeping my voice even. “I didn’t expect to see you here and with a gift no less.” “I would not have missed it for the world. This is the first celebration of the Alpha Queen. How would it look if I didn’t attend?” Geoffrey said. ‘We would’ve been just fine if he hadn’t shown,’ my wolf huffed. “Congratulations. Truly. The twins especially,” Geoffrey said as he held out the gift.Before I could take it from him, Nolan did so. “Thank you. That is very thoughtful of you,” I said, and Nolan nodded, but I knew Nolan was going to throw the gift into the trash the first chance he got.“Don’t cause any trouble tonight,” I said, quiet enough that it stayed between
Talia’s POVOn my birthday morning, I put on the dress Nolan picked out weeks ago and hid from me until now. It was a deep blue, simple but cool, with just a bit of shine when the light hit it. The neckline was both classic and a little daring as it revealed more cleavage that I was normally comfortable with.Nolan emerged from the closet in a charcoal gray suit that fit him perfectly. He looked so good, I nearly forgot I was supposed to be annoyed at him for keeping tonight’s plans a secret.'We have time for a quickie,' my wolf said and I blushed, shutting her out, but I could hear laughing in my mind.“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going.”“Not a chance.” He offered his arm, entirely too pleased with himself. “I planned everything myself. You’re not ruining my surprise an hour before it happens.”We drove out toward the southern border, and when the car finally stopped at the edge of a wide meadow, I understood why he’d been so smug about it. The whole field had be
Talia’s POVArya’s whole face lit up at that. “Really? You’d let me borrow from you?”“Of course. You’ll be a lot more comfortable in something that isn’t trying to fall off you,” I replied. “Thank you, Luna,” she said sheepishly. “Thank the Goddess,” Della sighed. “I thought I really was going to have to fight you to get a dress on you.”“Since it’s only two days away,” Arya continued, already moving toward the door, all business now that she’d decided something, “we should go pick out a dress right now.”Della gave an offended snort. “A teenager with zero sense of romance. It’s honestly impressive. Most girls your age have a whole drawer of things they’ve never even had an occasion to wear, just in case.”“I’ve had occasions,” Arya said, defensive. “Sparring matches. Drills. Award ceremonies. A drawer full of dresses doesn’t win you anything out there, last I checked.”“She grew up on the training grounds,” I told Della, though she already knew it as well as I did. “She’s spent mo
Talia’s POVA week later, I woke up to find Nolan not in bed, but in the nursery, switching out the crib blankets for even softer ones. He was focused, smoothing a pale blanket over the mattress. I stopped in the doorway, arms crossed, just watching him fuss over every corner and adjust the pillow. There was something so sweet about how careful he was. I wondered how long he’d been at it.‘Before sunrise,’ my wolf yawned. ‘He’s been at this for days. You’d think he was the one who’s pregnant, the way he keeps getting the den ready.’The nursery was already so organized it could have been in a magazine. Every piece of furniture was in place. A rocking chair was placed by the window, and a small bookshelf held picture books and stuffed animals. The dresser drawers were full of neatly folded baby clothes, and the shelves above the changing table were arranged with diapers and lotions.“How many blankets do you think one pup needs?” I teased.He spun around, holding the old blanket to his
Talia’s POVNolan shook his head then chuckled. "Solon and Leslie, we haven't told them about the pregnancy yet."I suddenly felt guilty. With everything going on, the shopping, picking out baby stuff, I forgot to tell Solon. I told myself I'd do better next time."You're right. I'll reach out to Solon now,” I said.As we sat in the car, bags of tiny clothes and toys swinging between us, I reached out to Solon through our mind link. His presence buzzed in my mind, warm and instantly familiar. 'Talia? Is everything okay?''You know, not every time I call it's bad news,' I teased.'You still didn't answer my question.''Everything's fine,' I replied. 'Actually, better than fine. I have news.''Alpha Geoffrey is no longer an Alpha?' Solon guessed.'That would be a miracle, but no, Nolan and I are expecting our pup,' I responded.There was a pause, then a wave of joy hit me through the link. 'That's amazing! Leslie's going to freak out. How far along are you?''Two months,' I said.'And i
Talia’s POV“How did you know we were coming?” I asked. Word couldn’t have spread that fast.“Beta Della contacted me with the news of your pregnancy and asked me to prepare enough baby supplies in advance,” the manager explained as she gestured for us to come inside. I blinked, surprised. The thought of Della thinking ahead made me feel warm inside. She always seemed to know what people needed before they did. ‘She’s our Beta. She should know what we need,’ my wolf said.Nolan hovered close, trying to look confident as he gave the manager our carefully color-coded list. The manager looked it over, her eyes going wide.“I see Alpha is taking his role as a father very seriously,” the manager said with a laugh before looking up at us. “Let’s get started. We’ll go step by step so you won’t miss a thing.”We started with the cribs. It felt like the crib aisle would never end, with so many choices and colors everywhere. Excitement and a bit of anxiety bubbled up as I checked out each cri







