Good News

{Alexus}

"Good morning," I cheerfully greeted some of the guards as I made my way to the private dining hall where I would meet my parents for breakfast.  I received a litany of 'good morning' in response, as well as the occasional challenge to spar that I eagerly accepted.  "Hey, Sharon.  How's it going this morning?"

"It's going okay.  You're a little chipper this morning.  A little too chipper if you ask me," Sharon said suspiciously.

"I don't know what you're talking about.  This is me every day."

"That's a lie, and you know it.  Most mornings, we have to pray to the Moon Goddess as you storm down the halls.  We see a headful of curls and scatter in different directions."

"Geez, you make me sound like a monster," I complained.

"You said it, not me.  I'm assuming the ear-to-ear smile on your face is because Alpha Harvey will be making his arrival shortly."  I let out a dramatic gasp.

"Are you serious?  I had no idea!" I lied. 

"Yes, you did."

"Yeah, I did."

"How long has it been since you've seen him?"

"Hmmmm, about three months."

"Well, I guess I'm free of training duties this morning."

"What do you mean? You're canceling our training for the morning?" I asked curiously.

"You're still going to train, but I'm sure Alpha Harvey would love to show you a thing or two."

"Actually, I'm not feeling very well.  I think I'm going to go back and lie down," I mumbled.

"Oh, no, you're not.  You're not getting out of training this easy," Sharon chastised.

I hated training with Alpha Harvey.  Not because he was too harsh or because he took it easy on me.  It was challenging to be in such close proximity to him when we had to grapple or fight in close quarters. I get distracted every time his biceps flex against the material of his shirt or his muscled thighs and calves when he's in a low stance.  My brain literally short-circuits, and then he'll get the jump on me.  I would hold my head in shame each time he bested me.  Not because I was embarrassed about my fighting skills, because I was trained by the best, but because I was distracted by my childish crush on my godfather. 

I need to find my mate, like yesterday. 

"Is Alpha Harvey visiting for business or pleasure?"

"Pleasure from what I gathered.  He will be helping to plan your 18th birthday party."

"Awesome. I'll see you later, Sharon," I said before taking off to the family dining room. 

"Good morning!" I jovially greeted my parents as soon as I entered the dining room.  The smile on my face instantly dropped as soon as I found my mother straddling my father at the head of the table.  "Ew, can y'all do this in the privacy of your bedroom?"

"Sorry, Lex, we got a little carried away," my mother apologized, dismounting from my father.  I was at least grateful she was wearing leather pants and they weren't having sex.  From the entrance of the dining room, it was a little unclear.  I watched my father as his eyes watched my mother's every movement until she was seated.  It was a look of pure lust and adoration.  I wanted someone to look at me the way my father looked at my mother. 

On that note, my phone vibrated in my pocket.  I checked the incoming text message and groaned. 

"What's the matter, Lex?" my father asked as he wiped my mother's lip gloss off his lips with the crisp white linen napkin. 

"It's Mark.  He wants to hang out this weekend," I drawled.  Mark was in the PWIT (Pack Warrior in Training) program for our pack.  Every unmated she-wolf threw themselves at Mark, hoping that he would stop waiting for his mate and choose them.  Little did they know, Mark was waiting to see what happened when I turned 18.  He was so convinced that we were mates that it was scary.  I tried to avoid him as much as possible because he would talk about how excited he was for my birthday every time we ran into each other.  I wouldn't put it past him to have a calendar on his wall that is filled with red X's, ticking off the days.  It was giving predator vibes. 

We did have a little fling at one point. It was nothing serious, at least not to me.  I was still a virgin, but we would make out when we hung out from time to time.  Mark was only two years older than me, but as I said, it became weird when he kept bringing up the possibility of us being mates and how excited he was for my birthday.  

"What's wrong with Mark?  We like Mark, right?  Or am I missing something?" my mother asked as she dug into her grapefruit with a spoon. 

"I'm not feeling him anymore.  I think whatever we had fizzled out for me."

"It happens, Lex.  It's probably Elektra trying to tell you something," my father added, pointing out that my wolf didn't care for Mark.  "Truthfully, you shouldn't be dating at all since your birthday is right around the corner."

"So, you're trying to tell me you didn't date or mess around before meeting Mom?"

My mother snorted into her glass of orange juice.  It was funny because we all knew the truth, and he had no room to talk.

"I'm not saying that at all.  All I'm saying is that you should trust your wolf," he answered. 

"That's solid advice.  I'll keep that in mind," I replied as I texted Mark back to tell him I would be busy.  "You said you had some good news.  What is it?" I asked, returning my phone to my pocket. 

My parents exchanged excited looks, and I just knew they were about to tell me that they bought me a brand new car for my birthday.  I closed my eyes and patiently waited for the big reveal. 

"You're going to be a sister!" my mother announced.

My eyes snapped open.

"What?"

"I'm pregnant."

I made a face mixed with disbelief and disgust. 

"At your old age?"

My mother's face instantly went from "happy-happy-joy-joy" to "you better make yourself scarce or my twin blades will find themselves buried in your flesh."

"Alexus, don't be disrespectful.  Your mother's only 36.  That's not old."

"You're one to talk, aren't you like 50?"

"I'm 42, and you know that."

I was tripping.  I couldn't even talk about their age when my crush was 50.  I just became the biggest hypocrite on the planet. 

"I'm sorry about my reaction.  I just had no idea the two of you were thinking about having kids again.  Why did you wait so long? Are you trying to replace me?"

"No, it's nothing like that, baby.  Your dad and I tried for several years, and it never happened.  I guess it wasn't our time then," my mother explained.

"Well...if you're happy, then I'm happy."  She shot me an incredulous look.  "I mean it.  I apologize for my earlier reaction; it was just unexpected. Am I having a brother or a sister?"

"Too early to tell, but we're hoping for a boy.  Although we'll be happy as long as the baby is healthy."

"That's the spirit," I giggled as I threw blueberries into my oatmeal. 

"Speaking of babies...the biggest one just arrived," my father sighed, checking his phone.

"What do you mean?"

"Alpha Harvey has made his arrival."