Chapter 14 - Moira

Moira had been in denial for a week. It had started with the nausea, striking early in the morning and lasting well into the afternoon, so that even the smell of coffee sent her running for the nearest toilet. Then, it had been the exhaustion, compounded by the lack of caffeine. She couldn't make it through a full day at the bakery without sitting down for an hour in the middle of the day.

Finally, she'd gotten up the nerve to check her calendar. It confirmed what she'd known deep in her bones but refused to accept—her period hadn't come that month, or the month before. Not since she'd spent that night with Jonah at the lighthouse.

She was pregnant. It seemed impossible. She was on the pill and took it religiously, even though she wasn't dating anyone at the time. She never missed a dose. And yet, the truth was staring at her at the end of a white stick—two little lines that told her everything in her life was about to turn upside down.

Mentally, she tried to prepare herself for Jonah's reaction, imagining every possible scenario before settling on the most likely. He'd be furious. He'd be devastated. She knew enough about men to know that they never liked to hear this sort of news.

Before she told him, she'd made her own decision. No matter what Jonah said, she would have this baby. It was a part of her. Even though she had no plan and no money, she would make it work. Vera would come around in the end, though Moira knew her reaction would be even worse than Jonah's.

She'd decided to tell him on her way out of the bakery that day, but in the end, she couldn't wait for him to pick her up and walk her home. It was bubbling inside of her, dying to get out. Now, he was standing in front of her, and the words got caught in her throat.

"Are you okay?" He asked, taking her hand.

If there was a time when she had ever been less okay, she couldn't remember it. On the sidewalk outside the bookshop, where anyone could walk by, wasn't where she wanted to tell him. A public scene was the last thing she needed.

"Let's go to the lighthouse," she said, shifting before he could respond. She knew he would follow.

Racing down the street, Moira's paws gripping the asphalt, she heard Jonah fall into place behind her. They ran onto the sand, still pleasantly warm from the day under the sun. Moira raced along the tide line. The sea lapped at her paws, and Jonah, barking wildly, ran past her deeper into the water. His joy was infectious, but the dread set in again as the lighthouse grew closer.

The place still gave her the creeps. She'd only chosen it because going to either of their apartments would have felt too intimate. The lighthouse felt like neutral ground.

She shook the sand out of her fur and shifted, waiting for Jonah to catch up. He loped up, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, and pressed his head against her hand. Moira scratched the back of his ears.

"It doesn't look like anyone has been here since we were at least," Moira said, anxiously scanning the surrounding area.

She couldn't forget the broken oar in the sand. It had the ominous feeling of a threat. The boarded up windows were still covered, and the others were closed. Jonah and Moira owned the only two keys for the lock on the door. So why couldn't she shake the feeling that they were being watched?

The key turned easily in the new lock and she braced herself as the door swung open. Jonah slipped past her into the lighthouse and did a lap of the place, nose to the ground, before shifting back to human form.

"No one's here." He bounced on his toes, and she wondered if he'd been just as nervous about coming here as she had. "Coffee?"

He wandered into the kitchen and filled the kettle.

"No thanks," she replied, resisting the urge to touch her hand to her stomach.

It was too soon for her to feel the baby or the taut swell of her stomach, but the gesture connected her to the life growing inside her. The life they'd created together, right there on that couch.

Following him into the kitchen, she propped herself up on the counter to watch him. She liked how the muscles in his forearms flexed as he gripped the kettle and poured the steaming water over the mug, and how his curls flopped forward onto his face when he tilted his head down. Oh no, she thought with horror, I really do have a crush on this man.

He caught her watching and smiled in that cocky way of his. She threw a dishtowel at him.

"Hot chocolate?" Jonah offered, catching the dishtowel with ease. He folded it neatly before rehanging it out of throwing range.

"Do you have marshmallows?" She asked.

Jonah pulled a bag of marshmallows from the cupboard, the tiny ones that reminded her of childhood, of nights tucked around the fire. "Of course I do."

"Then yes," she said, swinging her legs.

It was too easy to fall into a comfortable conversation with him and forget that she'd brought him there for a reason. Just the thought of telling him set her nerves back on fire. Now or never, she decided.

"Jonah," she began, waiting for him to look up from the mug he was stirring warm milk into, "I'm pregnant."

She watched the spoon swirl around in the mug once, twice, three times before he set it down. Moira braced herself. No matter what he said, she would be okay. She would be strong. She had to be, for the baby.

His face was unreadable. He drew closer to her, silent, eyes glued on her face. They dropped to her stomach.

"Pregnant?" He said, so quiet she read it from his lips more than heard it.

"Pregnant," she repeated, squirming. She hadn't expected silence as a reaction and it was making her, impossibly, even more nervous.

Jonah's smile lit up his entire face. He caught her by surprise, wrapping her in a hug that lifted her off the counter and into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist instinctively as he spun her around in the small kitchen.

When he set her down again, the world continued to spin, caught up in his apparent joy. There was no faking the glow around him, the reverence in his eyes when he softly touched his fingertips to her stomach.

"You're not upset?" She still had to hear it to believe it. How could he not be angry about this? It would turn both of their lives upside down.

Jonah shook his head, incredulous. He caught her hands and kissed them. "How could I be upset? You're my mate, Moira. A baby with you is all I could ever dream of."

She threw her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer, burying her face in his neck. "It's just a business deal," she said, muffled against his skin.

"Right, I know." He rubbed his hands down her back. "And you know that even if you don't want me in your life, I will support you and our child. Forever. You don't need to worry about that."

Moira couldn't think about the future in that moment or imagine the best path through the mire of her life choices. Every option seemed to have its barbs. Did she still want this to be nothing more than a business deal?

"I was so worried you'd freak out," she said, talking to keep from crying. "I was afraid to tell you."

Jonah sighed and tightened his grip around her, comfortingly strong, inviting her to lean all of her weight against him. "I'm sorry. I hope you can believe me when I tell you I'm here for you, no matter what. And I'll be here for our baby, too."

Tears stung her eyes. She blinked them back and bit down hard on her cheek to keep from crying. She wasn't going to break down. Not there. Not then. Reluctantly, she pulled away from Jonah and rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands.

"It's still really early." She flattened her hands against her stomach. "So much can change in that time."

Seeming to sense what she needed, Jonah gave her space and went to finish making her hot chocolate, topping it off with a small handful of marshmallows. The rich chocolate flavor and the marshmallows' sweet vanilla grounded her, keeping her from spinning into a panic.

"Here you go," he said, handing her the cup. He drank his coffee and watched her from the far side of the kitchen, face thoughtful. "It's all going to work out, Moira. I know it is."

Skeptical, Moira raised an eyebrow. "You can't know that."

"I have a feeling about us," he said with such confidence that she almost found herself believing it.

Something acrid bit through the smell of the hot chocolate and the coffee. Smoke. Moira jumped off the counter.

"Something's burning," she cried, looking around the space.

Jonah ran for the front door and threw it open. Smoke billowed in, a choking cloud. Moira grabbed the fire extinguisher from the closet and swung it at the fire, discharging a spray that smothered the fire before it could grow any larger, leaving a pile of smoldering wood at the front doorstep.

"This was intentional," Jonah said, shifting.

He leaped over the charred remains of the fire and took off toward the woods where the scent had disappeared last time. Before following him, Moira gave the wood another blast with the fire extinguisher, ensuring it was fully out. Whoever had set that fire hadn't wanted it caught so early, and if it wasn't for the sharp sense of smell that ran in her family, they might have been trapped in there.

Whoever had set it was escalating from property damage to arson, to potentially hurting someone. Moira growled, thinking of the baby inside of her. Someone had put their baby in danger. With a burst of speed, Moira caught sight of Jonah darting through the scrub trees, kicking sand up in a wall behind him.

They were moving quickly, too quickly for her to follow a scent, but when she caught sight of a tawny tail just ahead of Jonah, she realized they didn't need one. Their quarry was close. Moira's legs burned as she worked to catch up but Jonah and his prey were faster, disappearing into the trees then reappearing up ahead, ever out of reach.

She heard their snarls and growls, yelps of pain, and knew Jonah had caught them. Moira howled up at the sky, letting him know she was coming. Thoughts of Jonah hurt, splayed open by some monster's cruel fangs, spurred her on.

When she reached them, they were a tumble of fur, claw, and white teeth flashing in the dusk light. The other wolf was larger than Jonah, but Jonah had them by the neck, shaking them back and forth like they were as light as a rabbit. Moira couldn't find an opening that wouldn't also impact Jonah. She waited for her moment, crouched and ready.

The other wolf twisted free of Jonah's jaws and, rather than lunge for Jonah, spun for Moira. Jonah leaped for them, but the bigger wolf's leap took it out of reach, and it collided heavily with Moira, knocking her on her side before she could dodge out of the way. Reflexively, she lashed out with her teeth and caught a mouthful of tail, biting down hard. Her teeth sank in through fur, into the flesh beneath.

But the wolf knew it was outnumbered now. It broke free, leaving Moira with a piece of its tail in her mouth, the taste of blood flooding her tongue, and took off into the woods again. Jonah slid to a stop beside her.

"Go!" She urged him on, scrambling to her feet. The knock had been hard, and she felt the bruises forming already.

"Are you okay?" Jonah nuzzled her side and leaned his weight against her, supporting her as she rose. "I'm not leaving you."

"He's getting away." Moira whimpered at the sharp pain in her ribs, wondering if she'd crack one when the wolf had hit her. He'd had the strength of a battering ram.

Jonah circled, agitated, but stayed by her side. "He's long gone. Let's go back. Can you walk?"

She could, but it was slow and tedious when every step sent a jolt through her ribcage that left her breathless. Jonah stayed close, there by her side if she stumbled, ready to catch her. Together, they trekked back to the lighthouse.

Its light spun slowly around, illuminating them, then darting off to light the ocean. The smell of smoke hung in the air around it, but the fire had not rekindled itself in their absence. Moira flopped down onto the floor once they made it inside, and Jonah shifted, kneeling beside her.

"Can you shift back? We should get you to the hospital." He ran his hand lightly over her side, through her fur.

Moira shifted and instantly regretted it. The pain was so much worse in human form. "I'm okay. I don't want to go to the hospital just… just take me to Vera, okay?"

Jonah opened his mouth to protest, but Moira shot him a look, and he snapped it shut again. "Whatever you think is best."

She had no idea what was best. Not in any area of her life. All she knew was that she and her baby weren't safe there until that wolf was caught.