by Raven Willow
Riona almost felt ashamed, as if the alpha mate should have knowledge of motherhood and child rearing. She feared they would all think her incompetent to lead the next generation of wolf into the future.
There was a sudden feeling of pressure; what if she proved to not be a proper mother? What if the maternal feelings never came? She had seen the women come to the midwives seeking advice for their melancholy after birth. They looked sleep-deprived and exhausted, near tears as they poured their feelings out.
Her mate rushed to her side, taking her hand and cupping her cheek.
“Tell me what you are feeling, love.” Alistair guided their hands to her tummy. It was clear he was encouraging the bond slowly. Riona had been informed that their children would require far more strength and energy than even one mortal child.
“I am frightened, Alistair...” Riona looked up at him, touching his own cheek.
“I know, Riona, I know. But you are not alone. I feel that I can only do so much as your mate. Some things another female is better equipped in handling.” He looked to Elspeth.
“Oh, love, do not worry. Everything will be perfect. I am concerned about the morning illness, however. You must drink plenty of fluids now.” Elspeth handed her and Alistair a handful of jars and sage. “Put these raspberry leaves in your tea, it will help alleviate the morning sickness and assist in the synthesis of your breast milk. These nettle leaves will help with any cramping you feel, especially in the legs. I also suggest you begin growing some cabbage. Not the most pleasant food, I know, but it will stop the nausea.” Elspeth began loading all the supplies in a satchel.
“This really is too much!” Riona giggled.
“Only the best for our alpha mate.” Elspeth helped her pack sister out of the bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Now don’t you worry, everything will be just fine. But you must remember to not fret yourself. Your babies can feel what their mother feels.”
Riona nodded, recalling similar advice back with the midwives. They warned to keep calm, to occupy themselves with soothing activities such as needlepoint. Such menial tasks bored Riona. She still wanted to remain an active pack member.
Alistair thanked their friend as they left her cottage, but instead of going back to their own, he took her hand and led his mate to the lake he had taken her in months before.
“Where are we going? It’s nearly time for supper.”
“To the lake. I would like to have time with my woman before I lose her to the females who will fawn over this news likely for the rest of the night.”
Alistair pulled her close and examined her abdomen. She knew he was wishing he could feel his pups move. His wolf’s anxiety would not cease until he could feel them kick against his hands. Riona imagined he would shower his mate with furs, the finest foods. Any potion or tincture he could seek out he would. He had already more than proven his dedication to her. She would nest as her belly grew and his pups made themselves known.
Riona envisioned Alistair coming home to her lying there in their bed, safe and secure wearing his robe, her long thick locks draped over the pillows as she cradled her little belly in her hand. He would make love to her there, watching his gold locket press against her breasts spilling out of his robe.
“You could never lose me.” Riona’s warm hands soothed him as they ran over his broad shoulders.
Yes, no more threats of Cinead. They were safe. She knew he didn’t want to admit that the nightmares had not gone away. Almost each night his body was racked with sudden sharp movements that woke her. She would sit up and watch him until he seemed to relax. The same image was haunting his sleep.
No. Nothing would take this moment from them. He was going to be a father, Riona the mother of his pups. The dream she always imagined was now coming to fruition. They would always be safe. She would convince herself to lock those fears away, never to see the light of day.
“Come here, love.” Alistair moved her in front of him, unlacing her bodice and shrugging her skirts off. He had promised he would immediately buy her clothing more appropriate to suit her changing form. Larger garments she could tailor to fit her new body.
“It will be cold!” She moved to cover her breasts as gooseflesh spread over her skin.
“I’ll keep you warm, like I always do. Like when I surge myself inside this sweet little pussy in the heat of passion and take you over and over again.”
He rubbed her tense shoulders until she relaxed against him; her bare bottom pressed against his cock woke the member as Riona felt his hand trail down her tummy.
“Is it true what the women say, how their desires increase tenfold when with child?”
Riona giggled and grabbed his hand, stopping it from finding her wet folds.
“I wouldn’t know, the midwives did not give... intimate advice.”
Alistair moved her hair to one side, exposing her pink bite mark.
“Would you like to test the theory?” Alistair picked her up and walked into the lake. Her little toes dipped into the chilly water and she jumped, much like she did in his arms when he first brought her there.
Only now she carried his pups, and squealed as he lowered her into the water while she tried to scrunch herself up smaller.
“I will toss you in if you keep fighting me, little minx.”
“Noooo, you wouldn’t!” Riona held on to his neck tighter as Alistair playfully began to let go of her legs and she attempted to wrap herself around him to keep from falling in.
“Mmm, cannot let go of me, I see.” Alistair rubbed her back as he fully lowered her, allowing her to get used to the water.
“I can’t help it, Alistair. Lately I’ve felt this need, like a natural pull that brings me to you.”
He let some water sprinkle from his hands into her hair, wishing to wash and comb it himself.
“It is the bond, sweetling. The same feeling plagues me, as it has ever since I laid eyes on this beautiful little face.” He took her cheeks and kissed her nose.
Riona kept her arms wrapped around him, which pressed her breasts against his torso. She could feel her nipples pebble as he moved to grope her buttocks.
“What if I am no longer beautiful? My hips will grow wider and my body will not be as... shapely.” Riona pouted.
“You think I could ever love you any less, even after you give me children, your trust, and your love? Oh, my darling. All these things, and more, make my love for you grow.” He picked her up, walking them deeper into the water.
“Nothing could be more untrue. For each day that goes by, I think how could such a sublime, sweet little female be mine? How could she have been made for me? But you prove that every day, my love for you continues to grow, and until I breathe my last breath on this earth, it will still thrive.”
Alistair encouraged her to lie back, floating in the water as she kept her legs wrapped around his waist. He watched as her hair saturated and billowed freely in the ripples their bodies made.
“And when I leave this earthly body, whether by the sword or when the goddess comes for me in old age, I will leave knowing our legacy lives in our children, who I know will one day lead this pack, or packs of their own.”
Riona sat up abruptly.
“By the sword?”
“Shh, darling. Nothing will happen to me. As long as I am here, I will make sure that peace reigns in this pack and every other pack that graces this land.”
“You said you wish to move the pack. Where will we go?”
“We can go anywhere. I have been in contact with the other alphas that reside with their packs outside the next village. They are willing to take us in, appointing me as an alpha alongside them, with you as an alpha mate along with their own. I am told there is sisterhood among fellow alpha mates. And I believe we will all be happy there. There is strength in numbers. We will be able to better protect ourselves, the young ones will have playmates, and Elspeth will have more pupils to take under her wing. But more important, we will be safe.”
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br /> Riona beamed as she listened to Alistair’s plan. It would be perfect. She loved this land where the pack put down their roots, but she did fear for their future. It was not terribly large and easy for hunters to raid.
“Wherever you go, I go too. My home is with you.” Riona wrapped herself around him tighter, smashing her lips against his and encouraging his tongue to dance with hers. She could feel the tip of his cock against her beneath the water and began to grind against it, determined to seduce her mate.
“You little tease.” Alistair positioned himself as so, sinking her down on his cock as she cried out.
“Shhh, little one, we may be alone but they can still hear you.”
“I don’t care. I don’t care.” She moaned her words against his lips as he gripped her ass and fucked her with reckless abandon, the water splashing around them.
“Then let them hear.” Alistair’s wolf was aching to bite her again. Her mark was starting to heal over, but it throbbed each time Alistair’s wolf was near. The healing displeased the wolf. It wanted her to wear his claim at all times, letting all know who owned her, especially now that she would be heavy with his pups.
“Mine.” Alistair’s eyes flashed and his voice dropped as he gripped her hair. He brought a hand to her stomach.
“Mine.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The dark figure that sat quietly in the trees watched as the scene played out; the alpha and his pregnant mate rutting desperately in the water. The wolf imagined Cinead also spied on the woman he believed his. The fool never gave it a second thought, the wolf mused. He was too quick and too eager to get his hands on a mere useless woman. This is exactly what the wolf counted on.
As long as Cinead did the wolf’s bidding, to challenge Alistair for ownership of the woman called Riona, he would put himself in danger and ultimately be killed. Thus eliminating the threat and any suspicion of danger. He would have been too distracted with his thoughts of the so-called future with the woman he wanted to claim, only sabotaging himself in the end.
The wolf just never thought the woman would take a stand and kill Cinead herself. She was braver than originally suspected, and did make a worthy alpha mate. Further proving herself now by carrying the alpha’s children. She would complete her shift soon and be able to successfully birth their children, and they would all live happily ever after.
Or so Alistair dreamed.
He never suspected that Cinead was under orders by someone else. His guard would drop and the wolf would be able to move in and take the woman and her pups, drawing Alistair out. He fantasized about just killing the woman and taking her pups. Too easy. Not enough to make Alistair suffer. The wolf would quietly plot on the sidelines, watch from afar as the alpha let his walls come down.
The moment would be then.
Where Alistair would pay.
Chapter Thirty
Riona’s womb had swelled, and the slight bump was beginning to show. The morning illness was much more severe than they had anticipated. It seemed to either last all day with no relief, or the symptoms did not trouble her. Elspeth gave them various herbs and poultices to aid the sickness, which eventually did stop.
After three full moons, Alistair had rubbed her tummy, musing about his children. So happy to see they were already so strong. The quickening had begun, keeping his mate from a restful sleep.
“Why do they torment me so?” Riona mumbled as she sat at the edge of the bed, cradling her tummy.
“They are merely letting their mother know whose sons they are; where they come from.” Alistair kneeled behind her, massaging her tense shoulders.
“The midwives used to say too much stress could harm the baby.” Riona worried her lip. “Babies, in this case.”
She looked down to her tummy with a giggle.
“What troubles you, sweet one?”
“I-I do not know. I never thought this would happen to me; motherhood, a family to care for. I saw what it did to the women in the village. The pressure... the need to be a perfect mother was too much for many of them...”
Alistair adjusted, rubbing her stomach to ease the ache.
“I just... want to be a good mother.” Riona craned her neck to look back at him, while he moved her hair to one side to kiss her shoulder.
“I understand your fears, my love. I am only a man, and therefore cannot possibly understand them. But what I promise I can do is keep you comfortable. Try to ease the pain. Rub these little feet.” He chuckled as he attempted to tease her gown up over her legs. “Maybe lay you down and remind you just how beautiful you are.” He pressed his face into her neck, waiting to bite into her perfect flesh again.
“How could you possibly think me desirable in this state?”
He stood her up and helped her out of her gown, raising it over her head to reveal breasts growing heavy with milk. They spilled out of her dresses now, teasing him with their bounce. It was growing harder to not pull her aside while she socialized with the females so he could rip her gown and claim her in the forest again.
“You have no idea, Riona, you have no idea.” He guided her down gently, fashioning a little crevice of pillows and furs for her comfort. “I have half a mind to keep you just like this, mate. Naked, swelling with my children, draped in our bed, always ready for me.”
Riona giggled and hid her face. “Nothing to cover me or keep me warm in these cold months?” She gestured to the large window behind the bed where a heavy snowfall covered the land.
He frowned slightly, the snow reminding him of his nightmares. Keeping her indoors at all times would ensure her safety, Alistair thought. Riona unclothed and constantly being filled with alpha seed would be a welcome consequence of that decision. Now that he saw her this way, he knew he wouldn’t be able to have enough.
“All the more reason to keep you indoors, safe and sound. Where no other man can see what I see.” He lowered himself just so, as not to press against her stomach. Nothing would ever harm his children. He pressed a soft kiss against it, wishing he could talk to them. Know what they were thinking. If only they knew just how important they were.
“This is mine. By the gods I can never say that enough. You are mine. This is all I have ever wanted and prayed for. And now that I have it, a beautiful utterly perfect mate heavy with my children in my bed, who I get to hold and sleep next to every night. I fear it could all just be a dream.”
Riona playfully pinched him, then after a few seconds responded, “Well, it doesn’t appear to be a dream.”
He moved again, giving her a soft kiss on the lips. They tasted of tea and honey, her latest craving. Alistair acquired most of the tea leaves from a merchant in the village, nearly cleaning the man out for the day. Anything his mate wanted he would move the earth to get, and she was quickly learning that.
Alistair thought back to some weeks before, when he fulfilled her ever-changing cravings as quickly as he could. The memory played out in his mind, bringing a smile to his face.
Riona had only mentioned she would love some meat, but knowing the cold time had come, it would be unlikely to find fresh game. Alistair’s wolf the very next day brought back a deer. He had hunted it for most of the morning and into the afternoon, losing it for about an hour or two until he gained on him again. His wolf finally pounced when the deer let down his guard, ripping through its throat quickly. He barked a warning to the pack who began to crowd around the kill. They would understand who would have at it first.
Alistair and the pack proceeded to watch as the alpha mate got on her knees and bit into the flesh, the blood gushing as her eyes flashed and what started as frantic pulling of the flesh turned into a tearing frenzied feast. He slowly lowered next to her, joining in her meal while the rest of the pack howled and yelped in excitement. Their alpha mate had developed the craving for the flesh as they had, and would soon birth children that would lead the next generation of wolves. They couldn’t have asked for a better alpha mate.
Alistair sighed, r
eturning himself to the present sight of his beautiful bride as she lay in their mating bed.
She pressed Alistair’s hand against her stomach, where their children jumped at the touch of their father, already recognizing him.
“They will be great leaders one day.”
“Do you think they will lead this pack one day? Together?” Riona cradled her belly, tracing the new stretch marks that covered her skin. At first she wrinkled her nose at the sight of them. But Alistair would strip her of her gown in front of the mirror and show his mate just how beautiful they were. They were natural, and showed proof his young were healthy. Now she wore them proudly.
“It is not unheard of, two alphas that are brothers.”
“How are you so sure they will be boys?” Riona tilted her head.
“I can sense it, my love. I am their father, they are my pups, and you...” Alistair guided her on top of him, which she hesitated to do given her new body.
He raised an eyebrow, letting her know via the bond that he would not hesitate to give her a little spanking. Riona obeyed and straddled her mate.
“You are mine. My mate. My woman. My female pregnant with my pups.”
He gripped her hips, wider beneath her gown. A whimper escaped Riona’s lips. More than anything he wanted her to strip and please him.
She had said she could hardly believe this was who she was now. Constantly aching for her mate, growing heavy with his children. Alistair was aware some semblance of her missed the village. Her friends, her work with the midwives and the tavern. She was the kind of woman who liked having control of her life.
But Riona had confessed something to him. She had confided that being here with the man who loved her, carrying his children and being part of a family—a real family who loved each other and supported one another—was an occurrence she never thought possible.
She was finally part of the family she always wanted. And they were about to bring new life into the world.