Midnight Wolf Chapter 38
VIOLETS POV
Mom and I hammered out the details. We decided to include Dad and Garrett too. And apparently Sophia, as they had re-discovered their mate bond last night. I wished we could plan a little more, but we would be leaving to Silver Moon soon, so it had to be done as soon as possible. Which meant today, of course. My mind was already wrapped around the fact that I was pregnant, that I was going to be a Mother. I wasn’t sure why, but the shock didn’t last long at all. Now I only felt excited and happy.
“I’ll give you something for the burn; You likely just have some heartburn and a little acid reflux. It should go away soon, and if it doesn’t, it will after the pregnancy.”
“Did you have it with us?” I asked curiously.
“For a little bit. Drinking milk helped me, if you don’t want to always take medication. They make you sleepy.”
“Noted.” I took the bottle from her, reading the label.
“And take these too.” She handed me another bottle. This one was pink. “Those are prenatal vitamins. Take one a day, once a day. They won’t make you tired, and they’re packed full of good stuff for the babies.”
“Thanks Mom.”
She clapped her hands, her own excitement starting to show. “Alright! Let’s go, I can’t wait!” She squealed.
We left the room together, talking quietly until we reached the reception desk. Mom discarded her white coat, hanging it on a hook.
“I’m taking the rest of the day off Cal. Call me if there’s an emergency, but only if there’s an emergency. As in, life or death, but everything else can wait.”
“Uh, sure. See you later Luna, Violet.” Cal nodded at us, looking genuinely confused. He was probably wondering if there was something wrong with me, and if it was bad enough that the Head Doctor would leave so early. I winked at him as I passed, reassuring him that everything was fine. His face relaxed into a more comfortable smile.
We walked to the packhouse, heading for Moms car. I jumped in the backseat, while Mom took the drivers seat. And then I mind-linked Jasper.
“Hey.”
“Hey. How did it go with your Mom? Are you okay?”
Jasper instantly bombarded me with questions, the concern evident in his tone.
“I’m fine! But you need to come to my Moms car.”
“……..Why?”
“Because we’re going somewhere.”
“We?”
“All of us. Just hurry up!”
I was practically bouncing on my butt.
“Okay…. “
I cut off the link, grinning.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
“Your Dad is getting Garrett and Sophia. They’re taking his car. And the Silver Moon guests have been told there is an emergency, so Luke and Ben are with them until we get back.” Mom said.
“Perfect.”
I wondered absentmindedly if Sophia knew I was hybrid still. It didn’t seem likely, since that memory was attached to her previous mating with my brother. So, did we tell her or not? She would probably figure it out anyway; She was Garrett’s mate after all. And she kept the secret the first time around. Either way, that conversation could be put off until a later time.
“Here they come.”
I looked out the window to see four very confused faces walking towards us. Garrett and Sophia split to get into Dads car, while Jasper and Dad got in with us. Both of them gave us looks as they got in, but we just smiled at them.
“What is the big emergency?” Dad asked.
“You’ll see.” Mom replied. “Garrett will follow us?”
“I told him to…”
“Good!”
She put the car in reverse, and off we went. Jasper took my hand in the back seat, squeezing it gently.
“Are you really alright?” He asked. His brow was furrowed, his eyes scanning me head to toe.
I leaned over to k**s him. “Healthy as a horse.” I assured him.
“Then where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Vie…”
“This doesn’t look very good, Violet. Jasper just met the ranked members as their new Alpha, and then had to leave. That’s not a great first impression.”
Mom scoffed. “Oh please! An Alpha gets called away all the time due to one thing or another! If they don’t like it, it’s too bad for them. I can recall many times you left meetings because of emergencies.”
“But you haven’t told us what the emergency is.” Dad shot back.
“I told you, you’ll see. Stop pestering me Dimitri.”
Dad sat back, pouting and I giggled. We drove through the pack, right to the heart of town. When Mom parked in front of the mall, the guys stared at us. Not giving them time to voice their questions, we got out, Garrett pulling into the spot next to us. He looked just as confounded as he stepped out of the vehicle.
“Why on Earth are we at the mall?” He frowned.
“We have some shopping to do.” I said. Everyone looked at me like I’d grown a third head. “Come on then!”
I started walking, leading our group. Jasper caught up to me, falling into step beside me.
“Violet-“
“This is important, Jasper. Trust me, you’re not going to want to miss this shopping spree. Trust me, please?”
He pursed his lips, but nodded.
I didn’t come to the mall very often; I mostly shopped online. But that seemed very impersonal for this experience, and I wanted it to be memorable. The place was buzzing with activity; Couples with their children, teenagers, and a few groups of girls who were eyeing my mate appreciatively from a distance. It sparked a tiny bit of petty anger in me, seeing them watch him with hungry eyes. But I was the one carrying his babies, not them, so I didn’t let it bug me for long.
We weaved around people, passing various shops, until, finally, I stopped. I scanned the store, a store I’d never stepped foot in, and honestly, had never paid attention to. It was cute! The sign above read “Little Wonders” in happy red letters, the walls inside painted bright yellows and greens. Racks upon racks could be seen through the glass, filled with tiny outfits. I couldn’t wait anymore, rushing into the store and grabbing a cart.
It was even bigger inside, a whole section hidden by the wall on the exterior. Bright pinks and blues jumped out at me, but for now, I would pick neutral colors since I didn’t know the genders.
“Uh…. Violet…”
I turned to see Jasper slowly following me, his face contorted. Mom stood to the side of us, her phone in hand, recording.
“Yes?”
“Why are we in a baby store?” He looked around, touching an adorable outfit with dumptrucks on it.
“To buy baby things, of course.”
He frowned, and Dad gasped.
“Are you pregnant?!” He was looking at Mom with huge eyes.
“Nope.” She grinned.
Everyone turned to look at Sophia, who was admiring a pair of pajamas. She caught their gazes and held up her hands. “Don’t look at me!”
I watched in amusement as Garrett caught on first. Then Sophia. Then Dad. And at last, the lightbulb clicked on, and Jasper took a step towards me.
“Are you..?”
I nodded. I held my breath, waiting for his reaction. His expression was a mix of awe, nerves, shock, wonder. I watched as each emotion played across his face until it settled into a breathtaking grin. He moved so quickly, wrapping me in his arms and planting his lips on mine in a warm k**s. One of his hands went to my belly, caressing it gently.
“I can’t believe it.” He breathed after we pulled apart.
“Believe it.”
“How far along are you?”
“A few weeks. They’re just little squiggles right now.”
His face went blank at my words. “They?”
I wrapped my arms around his torso. “We’re having twins. Identical twins.”
Because I was holding onto him, I felt when his knees went weak. Dad jumped in to steady him, and I bit my l*p to keep from laughing. Yeah, it was rather shocking.
“Oh my Goddess! Congratulations!” Sophia shrieked. Her and Garrett nudged their way in, giving me a group hug. Mom ended the recording, coming to join. Jasper was possibly still absorbing the information, looking around the store with new eyes. And I looked at my Dad over everyones shoulders.
“Dad?”
“I…” He cleared his throat. “I’m happy. Of course I’m happy for you. I guess… I’m just a little choked up.” He chuckled, looking at the ground. “I guess I didn’t realize how much you’ve grown up until now. But you’ll be a good Mom, a great Mom. I’m so proud of you.”
I smiled around new tears. Hearing that meant so much to me, more than he knew. I held out my arm, and he joined the group hug, kissing the top of my head.
“Uhm… is there anything I can help you find?” We broke apart at the voice behind us. A petite redhead was smiling at us, though she looked a little wary. I wiped my eyes, giving her a friendly smile in return.
“Yes, actually. We-,” I pointed to Jasper, “-Just found out we’re expecting. Twins. We’re looking for all the necessities; toys, cribs, clothes. But neutral colors for now.”
The girls face lit up. “Oh! Congratulations, that’s so exciting! I can help you find everything you need. Follow me!”
I grabbed the cart, trailing behind her as she led us through the store. At some point, Garrett and Sophia broke off, admiring everything by themselves. Mom looked like she suddenly had baby fever, eyeing a pair of tiny shoes. Jasper simply followed me as I followed the employee, occasionally tossing stuff into the cart.
“You okay?” I asked him.
“Yes. Absolutely.” He paused to add a cute green onesie to the heap. “You don’t even know Vie… I don’t think I could be happier than I am right now. Sorry about before, it was just… well I wasn’t expecting twins. I guess I should have, since you’re a twin. But I’m so excited. I can’t wait to meet them!”
“Me either.” I smiled, looking down at my stomach.
“Awe. You guys are sweet!” The girl said to us. “I want to show you this- We just got this in! It’s a double crib, perfect for multiples! See, you can separate it like this-,” She pointed to the picture on the box, “-Or, you can let them sleep together, if you prefer. It actually comes with its own mattress too. We sell them over there. It also comes in different colors; Gray, white, pink, blue, or green.”
“It’s perfect! We don’t know the genders yet… so I think the white one is fine.”
“Okay. Did you have an idea for a theme for the nursery or…?”
I looked at Jasper but he shrugged. “Whatever you want. I’ll love it no matter what.”
“Hmm…” I looked around. “I think I’ll decide on that later, when we know if they are boys or girls.”
“No problem! Let me show you the bedding section…”
We ended up staying in the store for over an hour. The girl, whose name I learned was Raven, was more than helpful. And extremely patient, and kind too. We talked a little, and it turned out she actually knew me from school, though we’d never talked before. By the time we were done, we’d filled three shopping carts instead of one. Dad pulled out his card at the register, the total being more than I thought it would. I thanked him profusely, but he waved me off.
“I may not have been able to spoil you two, but I’m definitely spoiling my grandkids.”
“Same.” Mom chimed in.
We each took a few bags to the cars, and for a while, it didn’t look like Jasper and I were going to fit in the backseat anymore. We ended up piling mostly everything into Moms car, and riding home with Garrett and Sophia. Halfway home, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I rarely used it anymore; Mind-linking was so much easier. Brainnes name flashed the screen.
“Hey.” I answered the call.
“Hey! I’m at your place, where are you?” She asked loudly.
“Oh s**t! W were suppose to hang out today!” I gasped.
“Uh, yeah, we were!”
“I’m sorry dude, I totally forgot. Something… came up.” I said lamely. “But I’m almost back home, can you wait for me?”
“Yeah. I’ll be here.”
“Thanks.”
I hung up, feeling guilty. I’d been neglecting my friendship with Brianne lately. So much had gone on; I hadn’t even spoken to Dylan either. Ten minutes later, we pulled up to the house. Brianne was waiting by a shrub, tapping her foot. I stepped out of the car, shamefaced.
“Hey. I’m really sorry.” I apologized.
“It’s fine. You still want to go shopping?”
“Uh…” I looked at the cars. “I kind of already did.”
Her face clouded in disappointment.
“But here- help me bring this up. I have loads to tell you.”
“Go inside. We’ll bring everything up.” Jasper said.
“You sure?”
“Just go.” He chuckled. “We got it.”
“Okay. Thanks.” I took my friends arm, leading her into the house. We stopped as soon as we passed through the door. Two very large, very grumpy men stood in the foyer alongside my Uncles. They eyed us up and down, their eyes landing on my mark. To my astonishment, both dropped to one knee in front of us.
“Luna.” They said in unison.