by Lola Gabriel
Beside Rowan, Holly burst into tears. When he took her in his arms, he could feel her shaking.
“Hey,” he murmured. “Hey, he’s okay, they’re okay!” He pushed the hair from her face and kissed her, her forehead, and then her mouth. She put her arms around him and held him for a long time.
Eric cleared his throat.
“Right. I see what you mean. They’re good.” Rowan and Holly separated. Holly wiped her eyes. Eric looked at the ground and then at his daughter. “I’m glad your friend is okay,” he said. And to Rowan’s surprise, Holly walked over to her father and flung her arms around him.
“Dad, you’ll do it?”
Eric nodded, with his arms around his daughter. “Yes, sweetheart.”
Holly squeezed him harder. When she finally broke away, Eric gave her a pat on the shoulder. Then he stepped forward and stretched out a hand to Rowan. They shook.
“I’ll get the contracts drawn up on our end,” he said. Valleria put up a hand.
“We’ll do the enchanting, I think,” she said with what could only be described as a catty smile. Eric gave another of his brusk nods.
“I don’t think our boys will be able to argue with this,” he said, gesturing toward Xander. Eve was sitting on the bed with him, and they were both watching the proceedings with slight bemusement. The room was, after all, entirely full of the city council, two witches, and three senior members of Holly’s pack.
“I suppose we should, uh, let them get on with things,” Eric muttered. “We’ll be in touch. And be back for the, um, the official stuff.” His men turned to leave, but Eric lingered a moment. Again, he put his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re happy,” he told her. “And… well… we’ll see to your brother.”
22
Holly
It was entirely dark when Holly woke. Rowan was still sleeping, but she laid a hand on his chest. He shifted and then opened his eyes.
“Hello,” he murmured. “Do you want something?”
Holly smiled and moved closer to him. He leaned toward her and kissed her, pulling her as close as her rounded belly would allow. He stroked down her side and put a hand on her bump.
“She’s starting to get in the way,” he said.
“Don’t say that about your daughter,” Holly chided him, but she shifted onto her back. Rowan burrowed under the covers and kissed just above Holly’s belly button. It tickled, and she wriggled.
“Hey!” Rowan exclaimed from under the duvet. “I’m trying to say good morning!”
Holly’s own hand went to her abdomen. The baby was wriggling around; waking up, she supposed. It had been a strange sensation to get used to so quickly, but she loved it now. She loved knowing she was taking care of someone other than herself. She had decided it was a girl and called it mother’s intuition. But maybe it was just hope. They’d see soon enough. It seemed she was on her body’s schedule, not the bears’.
“She heard you,” Holly said to Rowan. “She’s saying good morning, too.” Rowan put an ear to Holly’s skin.
“Oh, yeah,” he agreed. “She says she’s hungry, what’s for breakfast?”
Holly laughed and pulled Rowan up to her, out from under the covers. “You’re still weird. I don’t know how you manage to be a leader, too.”
“I have many hats,” Rowan said. “Alpha, weirdo, incredible lover…”
“And so modest!” Holly pulled him toward her again and kissed him with intent. His hand moved softly across her breasts, down her sides to her thighs. She kissed his neck, nibbling at his collarbone. They were in that beautiful moment where they knew one another’s rhythms and likes, but nothing had gotten old yet.
Rowan moaned in a way that delighted Holly as she took him in her hand. He’d gotten hard as soon as she’d pulled him in for a real kiss. He made it known that he was still attracted to her, even pregnant, even first thing in the morning. Holly guided him into her, and they moved softly together, enjoying one another, the pleasure coming in soft rolling waves, the sun finally coming up and peaking through the blinds as they made one another gasp and laugh and gasp again.
It was a bright day by the time Holly finally said, “Okay. Big day, Ro, we’d better actually get up.”
“Five more minutes,” Rowan groaned, nuzzling her.
Holly shrugged. “If you don’t want our packs to be signed into a binding peace deal, then sure, we can stay in bed cuddling all day.”
Rowan gave an exaggerated sigh and threw back the covers. As usual, Holly watched him dress. Rowan watched him watch her.
“You’re a perv, Hol.” Holly smiled.
“I just like knowing you’re mine,” she said. Rowan screwed up his face.
“Gross!” he said. “Pregnancy has made you all mushy.” Holly got up and walked over to him, putting her arms around him.
“Noooooo,” she said, “you have.” They both laughed at this. “Too much?” Holly asked. Rowan nodded. “Oh, well. Best to get it all out before we’re in public.” Holly began to pull on her clothes. “Ugh, nothing fits!” Rowan put his arms around her from behind.
“I think you look good like this,” he said.
Holly leaned into him. “Yeah, massive and in my underwear, an excellent choice.”
“Hey.” Rowan pulled her around to face him. “I mean it, you’re beautiful. I thought it the moment I first saw you.”
“In that dive bar?” Holly smirked.
“Yes,” Rowan answered, “in that dive bar. But I was a gentleman, and I was okay with just being friends. But from the moment I met you, Holly, I knew there was some connection between us.”
“Me too.” Holly kissed him. “Of course. Or why would we have come up with such a ridiculous plan?” Rowan’s hands were moving down the curve of her back, exploring the band of her underwear. She leaned in and kissed him again. “We’ll be late,” she said, but she didn’t stop him.
When they finally went down to breakfast, Miriam scolded them.
“I was about to come and get you two,” she said. “Big day!”
“It’s just business, Mom,” Rowan said.
“Nonsense,” Miriam replied. “The joining of two packs is a big day. And it’s for the two of you, so embrace it.” She kissed her son on the cheek. “Your dad would be proud, you know. Very proud.”
“Mom…” Rowan pulled his mother into an embrace.
“I made breakfast!” Miriam chirped, pulling away. Miriam was in the transition of moving out of the house to her own house to give the new couple space. But, Holly had asked her to stay for a few more months until she got used to be a mother. This had delighted Miriam.
Miriam grabbed a plate and began piling food on top of it. “Can’t go into a historic event hungry!” Judging by the spread on the table, Rowan and Holly wouldn’t be hungry for some time.
“Really?” Holly asked. “Miriam, that’s enough food for about twenty people!”
“Well, we’ll save some for later!” Looking like she had suddenly remembered something, Miriam rushed away. When she came back, she handed something to Rowan that looked like a box. Rowan opened it, and his eyes widened.
“Oh,” he said. “Dad’s?”
“Yes.” Miriam nodded. “His fountain pen. You know how he was about it. Anyway, it’s ready for use.” Rowan embraced his mother again. She was a little teary-eyed. She wiped her tears with the heels of her hands and turned to the food she must have been up since about the crack of dawn making. “Eat!” she commanded. “You’ve got to keep up your strength, Holly. Have I told you Rowan’s birth story?” Holly hurried over to breakfast, eager to avoid hearing anything gruesome.
“Please, Miriam, don’t. I will eat everything on this table for you not to tell me. I’ve already had Eve warning me.”
“Well.” Miriam smiled. “I suppose you can hear all the stories there are and yet never be prepared.”
Rowan placed his hand in the small of Holly’s back and kissed her head. He was telling her he was
sorry, and that it was okay. He dipped down and whispered into her ear, “I’ll be holding your hand.”
Holly laughed. She kissed him briefly. “Thank you, sweetie, but I don’t know how much help that will be.”
23
Rowan
The town hall was half full when they arrived.
“I thought this was just, like, an official thing?” Holly questioned.
“It is,” Rowan replied. “But I guess people wanted to be here because it’s historic? I have no idea.”
“You’re an awful alpha,” Holly said and kissed him on the cheek. As the couple walked in, Eve came up and hugged Holly.
“Hey!” she greeted her. “We wanted to be here for your big day. And it looks like half the city did, too.”
Holly laughed. “Big day? We’re not getting married.”
Eve shrugged. “Well, sort of! This makes it official. You two can be together!”
Holly laid a hand on her belly. “I think this made it official…”
“No.” Eve raised her eyebrows. “Anyone can make a little mistake and end up with a baby.” She called back to Xander, who was sitting with Chloe a little way behind her, “Right, babe?” Clearly, he hadn’t been listening.
“Huh? Sure, I guess,” he said, going back to pointing at shapes in Chloe’s board book. Then he looked up again. “Hey, Rowan,” he called. “Good luck, man.”
“Thanks,” Rowan said, but he raised his eyebrows. Holly grabbed Rowan’s hand.
“Come on then,” she said, and they moved to the front of the room.
There was a stack of papers up on the podium, and Eric was up there with a tall, bearded man in a strange purple and gold robe. Rowan could only assume he was a warlock. Valleria was standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Rowan. She smiled at him. God, she was terrifying.
Before anyone signed, the council members huddled around the document, leafing through it. They mumbled as usual. Time passed. Finally, one of them said, “Very good.”
It wasn’t that Rowan wished death on anyone, ever, but surely it was their time...
Rowan gestured for Eric to go first, and he nodded. This was so weird in front of a crowd. Eric took a pen in a case from his pocket, signed his name twice, and stepped aside for Rowan. Rowan’s pen was on the podium. He signed.
Valleria stepped forward. Rowan was almost sure she gave the warlock a look before she began her incantations. The old man certainly looked sour, but that could just be his face. Or maybe he was also afraid of Valleria. Once Valleria stepped away from the contract, Rowan turned. They were done.
Behind him, Eric cleared his throat. Rowan turned back. Eric was staring at him. He looked… nervous.
“Yes?” Rowan prompted.
Eric stepped forward. His hand was in his pocket. For a brief moment, Rowan thought he was about to pull out a dagger or a gun—not that shifters had much use for either. Instead, he revealed dried wild flowers, small and white, tied with a dark blue ribbon.
“I thought… ehem… well. This seemed like a good opportunity to…” Was Eric sweating? He was handing Rowan the dried flowers. “I’m offering you my daughter’s hand,” Eric finally managed, and he stepped back. “Those are for… uh… well, virility. Seems redundant at this point, but it’s our tradition.”
Rowan hardly heard him, though, over the noise of the room breaking into applause. He held the herbs. He was too shocked to move for a few seconds, and then he took a step forward and put his arms around Eric.
“Thank you!” he cried. “Thank you so much!”
Eric patted him on the back.
Once Rowan was down in the audience, he went straight to Holly.
“Did you know?” he asked. Holly was in tears, and she shook her head. She took the dried herbs from him and laughed before kissing him.
“Oh!” she said, wiping her eyes and putting a hand on the arm of a woman next to her. “This is my mother, Catherine.”
“I can tell,” Rowan said. “She looks just—” But Catherine had thrown her arms around him.
“Welcome to the family!” she cried. “Our son is still sulking, but as far as the rest of us are concerned… Well, you’re giving me a grandchild, aren’t you!” When Catherine released him, Holly took his hand. She leaned her head against his shoulder. They watched their packs celebrating.
“Did they plan this?” Holly asked.
“I think they must have,” Rowan said. “How?” Their answer came when Miriam bustled over and engulfed Catherine in a hug.
“Pulled it off!” she said, and Catherine beamed.
“We did! I can’t believe Eric managed it,” she said. “He was sweating bullets up there, poor man!”
Miriam laughed. “Men and emotions… Not Rowan, though. Your daughter’s got herself a lovely softie!”
Suddenly, Rowan didn’t feel like an alpha who had just pulled of a major peace deal. He felt like an embarrassed little boy. Holly turned to him and grinned.
“There’s that blush,” she teased him. She leaned up to kiss him. “I’ve missed it, with alpha Rowan being around so often.” Miriam was watching them.
“You’re going to be a wonderful mother,” she said to Holly.
“What about me?” Rowan asked, a little hurt.
“Don’t be needy, Rowan,” his mother chided. “Of course you’ll be wonderful parents. Now, shall we go home? Everything’s set up for the party!”
On the short walk back to the house, Rowan and Holly lagged behind. Partially because Holly wasn’t up to a marching pace at the moment, and partially for a moment alone together.
“We’re waiting until after she’s born to get married,” Holly said. “I want to look good.” Rowan opened his mouth, but Holly went on. “Uh, good by usual standards, not just to your ever-loving eyes.”
“Okay,” Rowan agreed. “Anyway, she’s about ready to meet us, isn’t she? Would be a hell of a shotgun wedding. And it’s a bonding, by the way, for us. We’re doing that, right?”
They looked at one another and laughed.
“Do you think the moms have duked it out?” Holly asked.
Rowan shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m leaving this one up to them.”
They were silent for a while, just walking through the snow, with Rowan’s arm around Holly. It was cold, but not as cold as it had been. And it was already getting dark, orange street lights turning on almost as they passed them.
“I hope we’re good at it,” Holly mumbled, resting a hand on her bump again. “I’m scared…” Rowan stopped and turned to her.
“Hey,” he said. “It’s us! We’re great. Look at what we’ve achieved. And I love you. And, well, we have help.” He nodded to the crowd ahead of them.
“True,” Holly said. “Maybe too much help.” Rowan shrugged.
“It takes a village,” he said, sounding a little skeptical.
“Yeah.” Holly smiled. “But we’ve got two entire packs!”
* * *
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Thank You
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Lola Gabriel
About the Author
Lola Gabriel loves reading and writing paranormal romances. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, she has fond memories of retreating to the woods for long hikes. The towering evergreens, natural waterfalls, and soothing rain often set the scenery for her characters’ romantic encounters.
Find out more about Lola Gabriel at SecretWoodsBooks.com