“I didn’t trap you!” Athena blurted out, her face going red.
Before anyone could respond to her statement, she stood up quickly and rushed out of the room. Her head started swimming from the movements.
She’d only made it as far as the lobby of the office space they were in before she passed out, nearly hitting the floor before a pair of arms caught her. She never registered the voices yelling her name as she rushed away.
When she came to a few minutes later, she was in one of the hospital beds with a very worried Draco and his family beside her bed, Draco holding her hand tightly. She was embarrassed by all the fuss.
“Okay, I reran some of the bloodwork we took for the DNA since we wanted to be sure on both ends. Looks like you’re going to be a Mommy. Congratulations,” the doctor said as she walked into the room with Athena’s file.
“What? How?” Athena stammered as she looked at the doctor in shock.
“I know you didn’t fall asleep in sex ed. Especially with me as your friend.” Deidra laughed as she clapped in excitement.
“Smartass,” Athena mumbled, rolling her eyes at Deidra. “What now?” she asked as she looked over at Draco.
“Sooner than we had expected. We have been playing with fire by not using protection. But then again, that’s usually what happens when the mating bond kicks in when we connected,” Draco told her softly as he sighed deeply.
“But I’m not what you really wanted…I didn’t trick you! I promise. I just wanted to know what it was like to be held, cherished just once before I turned myself over to Rob to save your mother and Deidra,” Athena sobbed, removing her hand from Draco’s and covering her face.
She jumped when she felt Katarina’s hands around her face, making her look up into her eyes. She expected anger in her eyes, but all she saw was love and understanding.
“Sweetie, no one thinks you trapped or tricked Draco. And you’re not turning yourself over to Rob to protect me or my daughter. You are the Luna of this pack now, so you are protected, one hundred percent, by every shifter in our pack.”
“Baby, had I woken up and found you gone, and you were not in the house, not at work, or with my mother and sister, I would have hunted you down and tanned that sexy ass of yours until it was nice and red. I don’t think you trapped me. I could have said no and let you have Mom and Deidra set you up with someone to make you happy. But I’ll be damned if I would have been able to handle it. I knew touching you would have started the mating bond, and with Shadow fighting my every move where you were concerned, I took that leap anyway. I told you last night, while yes, you derailed my initial plans to be distant with whoever I chose to be my Luna, fate, destiny, the goddess herself, whateveryou want to call it is stronger than my plans were. I do not regret what happened between us. I could have, at any time, changed how I spent my time with you, but I didn’t. I want this. I want us. Our family.”
Athena stared at Draco for several minutes before she let go of the breath she’d been holding. She stared Draco in the eyes, seeing his honesty, she nodded at him her acceptance.
“Okay. So, now what? We’re going to have a kid. The Maplewoods want control of your pack and we don’t even know who my father is or if he even gives two shits about me.”
“First, the Maplewoods have been trying to take over our pack for years and have failed each and every time. They will fail this time as well. Second, I told you, whatever happens with your father, you will have us no matter what. You are my mate, Athena.”
Athena could only stare at the man. God she was in love with him but so damn scared of telling him.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
Athena went backto work on Monday, ready to start her week with a new perspective. She and Draco had spent so much time together after she got out of the hospital that she finally believed what he was telling her.
He was an Alpha and loving his mate scared him, according to Katarina. He felt that his fated mate gave him a weakness to exploit to get him to do what his enemies wanted.
Athena knew her being human only made it worse. It made her worry about her unborn child.
“For your father’s sanity, I hope you’re more like him than me, peanut,” Athena murmured with her hand over her stomach.
Her door opened, letting her know that her quiet time alone was over. Her class students came rushing into the room with excited chatter.
Athena could always relax the easiest around the kids in her class. Something about little ones always soothed her.
Guess it was a good thing since she was about to have one herself. Her dream had always been to have her own football team.
She probably needed to discuss that with Draco now that they were married. She knew he was resigned to just one.
“Do we get to call you Mrs. Blackwood now that you’re mated to our Alpha?”
Athena looked down at the small boy standing in front of her. She knew now that his parents were shifters in the Blackwood Pack.
She suddenly wondered when the shifter gene kicked in for kids of shifter parents. How would that even work?
