ZAHRA. I set the custard cake and the small plates on the table as we waited for Nadia to arrive. My good friend, Laura, a human, recently bought this place and is now managing the boutique that sells clothes for females. She is human, but she is mated to a shifter like me, and I had mentioned Nadia a couple of times, and she was also eager to meet her. I worked at the town’s library, but I had no scheduled work today, and so was Nadia, so I took this time to let the two of them meet. Nadia and I were spending most of our free time together. It felt like having a third daughter. Ellie and Bella, my lovely darlings, are both wonderful, but they are the exact opposite of each other. Ellie is the geeky one. Well, a bookworm she said, and she would spend almost all of her free time burying her nose in her books or on her computer doing technical stuff I was not even interested in knowing. On the other hand, Bella, on the other hand, is the outgoing one, who would spend days outside t

NADIA. After breakfast with the Graysons, Zahra drove me to the diner before she went off to her work. Lunchtime was just over, and the crowd was starting to calm down. I am tired and I still have four hours to go. But at least I would have my lunch in thirty minutes. I could get my rest. I was scouting the whole diner if there were any booths that needed to be cleaned so I could tell Johanna, but it looked like everything had been handled. I was about to go back to the counter when the door opened. My instinct told me to turn around and welcome the customer, but I didn’t expect to see the person who had just come in. My heart leaped as I saw Beta Dominic. He flashed his boyish smile, and I suddenly forgot where I was. All I was thinking was that if he was here, Riley must be behind him. I moved forward and hugged him tightly before I got hold of myself. "Oh, I’m sorry. I just got excited." He laughed before he bowed his head slightly at me. "I’m glad to see you, Luna. I mean

RILEY. A heartbeat. I stayed still on my knees, holding her hips for a while longer, basking in the most beautiful sound I’ve heard in my entire life - the beating of two hearts, Nadia’s and our pup’s. Nadia wasn’t saying anything. She wasn’t holding me either. She was just standing with her hands on her sides. But I understand, and I wasn’t complaining. I slowly tilted my head and looked at her, and found her looking at me. "You’re pregnant." "We’re pregnant..." She corrected me before biting her lower lip. A smile tugged on my mouth, loving the way she emphasized the word ‘we’. "Is that the reason why you came back?" I asked in a low voice. She nodded her head before she spoke, "Can you stand up? It’s so awkward looking at you kneeling there." Her hands held my arms as she urged me to move, and the sparks became more explosive. Her touch made everything in my body come back to life. I rose to my feet and just stared at her. I wanted to touch her, but I didn’t want to

RILEY. The doctor’s visit went well. Doctor Genevieve came and did a thorough check-up on Nadia and our pup. She was already in her ninth week, which means she was three weeks pregnant when she left. Genevieve said all of Nadia’s and the pup’s vitals were excellent and there was nothing to worry about. And she was about to leave our room when Nadia asked about her heat and about sex. I was actually planning to ask the doctor discreetly, but then again, my mate has her own ways of surprising me. And it gave me an overview that I wasn’t the only one looking forward to it. But I dared not voice my opinion. I stayed quiet the whole time, like the good mate that I was. Genevieve confirmed that she would still go on her usual heat during full moons, but it would become less and less than usual as she neared her delivery. As for sex, we could continue as usual and she even suggested making it more frequent as her due date approaches. And that got me excited. But it has been three day

RILEY. Nadia’s body was resting against mine while my arms were wrapped around her naked body as I cleaned the wounds from the new mark I gave her. I had been wanting to re-mark her when she returned, but I didn’t have the courage to ask if she wanted me to. And this moment was just perfect. I wanted Nadia to be mine again, body and soul. "Hmmm…" She mumbled softly, resting the back of her head on my shoulder as I continued to lap and suck her neck clean. "That was amazing…" "Did you like it?" I asked her as I stopped licking her skin. My hand reached for her face, tucking the stray hair behind her ear. Her eyes were closed as she nodded her head. "I love it. I miss that. I miss us." "Me too. I miss us. But I’m here now. I’m not letting you away from my grasp again." She chuckled softly, her hands holding on to my arms snaked around her waist. "You better, because maybe next time you’ll never find me again." "I know…" I leaned my mouth into her ear, nibbling her earlobe. "Ril