Chapter 17

Noel

Sure, I was tired. Completely exhausted from the drive if I was being honest. All of the anxiety that had been thrumming through me throughout the entire day settled in my joints and made my bones ache. Even though Garrick had done everything to ensure that I felt safe and secure, and talked me through all of my concerns, it hadn’t 100% alleviated the anxiety of meeting a whole new pack. But now that I had met his parents and had been welcomed into his territory by the people closest to him, that anxiety was gone. In its place was exhaustion.

But when I heard that we had the possibility of seeing the healer right then and learning if we truly were expecting a pup, my energy came back full force. I wanted answers and I wanted them as soon as possible. Nothing would stop me from knowing if I carried Garrick’s pup.

I wanted nothing more than for us to start our family. Even if it was a little fast. When a wolf found their mate, there was no reason to go slow.

We opted to walk to the clinic. Garrick told me it wasn’t far. I had a pair of gloves and snow boots that he had given me, so I was prepared to trudge through the snow. I wasn’t prepared for the number of people who would come out of their homes simply to look at us. Many of them waved, and Garrick waved back. I lifted a hand shyly. I didn’t want to appear like I was unkind. They waved in return, a smile spreading across their face as if they had guessed who I was and why I was here.

“There’s going to be rumors,” I said.

Garrick laughed. “Of course, there are. There’s always rumors. They likely started long before we even arrived. But the announcement will be tomorrow, so they will all be short-lived. Besides, most of them will be correct.”

“Tomorrow?” I stopped in my tracks.

Garrick stopped with me, his head cocked to the side as he looked at me. “Yes, Solstice is tomorrow. You didn’t realize?”

I bit my lip. The days had gotten away from me while the two of us had been secluded in the cabin, away from the outside world. “I guess I hadn’t really thought of how close it was.”

His hands came up and cupped my face. “I know it’s a lot right now. If it were up to me, we could wait, but we can’t. I’m sorry, mate. Tomorrow is the day I’ll be named Alpha.”

“We don’t need to wait. I will be fine. It is a lot, but once it’s done, we’ll have a lifetime together, and I’ll have plenty of time to get to know my new pack and what my role looks like.” Garrick’s thumbs brushed over my skin, and I leaned into his touch.

He leaned down and kissed my lips, then gently pushed my glasses back up my nose. They had started to fog over.

“You’re amazing, mate,” he said.

“Pretty sure you’re the amazing one.”

“We’ll be amazing together then.”

Garrick’s head went back, and he laughed. I smiled right along with him. We stood there laughing together while people looked on, without a care in the world. I had no fear that anyone would harm us or tell us we couldn’t be here. We were at home. I belonged here.

***

When we came to the clinic, the door opened right away.

“Garrick, your mother texted me.”

“Oh, wow. She didn’t waste any time.” Garrick still held my hand. We stood in the doorway of the little building near the edge of the woods. According to Garrick, the one-story building had a handful of exam rooms, an X-ray machine, and a portable ultrasound that was shared with a neighboring pack.

The healer, a short, round woman named Rosie, laughed, then waved us inside. “Oh, come on in.” She led us down the hallway and let us into one of the exam rooms.

“You know, I didn’t really think about the fact that we were walking straight to the clinic. The rumors will really be starting now,” I said as I hopped up onto the exam table. “Plenty of people saw us coming in here. I just thought they’d speculate about who I was and where I came from. But they’re all going to know I’m pregnant.”

“Oh, rumors already started the minute Garrick brought an omega home. Everybody thinks you’re some sort of mail-order omega. They’re wondering where they can get one too. Is it true that your cabins were double-booked and he just happened to be your fated mate?”

Rosie raised a brow at us. Clearly, she was part of the rumor mill.

Garrick nodded. “That is how it happened, more or less. We were snowed in together.”

“Oh, how romantic! I need a vacation,” Rosie said. “Maybe my mate is waiting for me at some remote cabin. Though, I’d rather it be a cabana on a beach rather than a cabin in the snowy mountains.”

Garrick laughed. “Anything is possible. Hey, I know the guy who can make that happen for you. You should ask your boss for a vacation.” He winked.

“Well, depending on what news we get today, that vacation might come sooner rather than later, because if your mate is expecting, I’ll need to be here in a few months, which means I’d take a vacation now.”

“It’s too soon to tell, isn’t it?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Not when it comes to mates, dear. You had a heat, correct?”

My cheeks turned red. I nodded but couldn’t say the words. This was my first doctor visit ever, and I had no idea what to expect. Whenever I had gotten sick at my other pack, everyone still expected the same amount of work out of me, so I just went with it. I never had a checkup or anything.

Rosie put a gentle hand on my forearm. “I know that since you arrived, rumors are swirling, and it’s not fun when people are talking about you. I assure you, everything that is said here will be in total confidence between you and me. The rest of the pack knows not to ask me for information that I cannot give. So whatever you tell me, whatever we learn here, won’t become public knowledge unless you tell someone. It is my honor to serve as healer of this pack, and I would never break that trust by breaking the oath I have taken as a healer.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I really appreciate that. I honestly wasn’t even thinking of that, but I do appreciate it. I just… I’ve never been to a doctor before or a healer. I’m not used to talking about myself.”

Rosie gasped and looked to Garrick.

He nodded. “Noel’s birth pack is not like ours.”

“Oh, you poor thing. We’ll take care of you. I’m going to hug you now, okay?”

She waited for me to nod, then she pulled me into her arms. In one day, I’d doubled the number of hugs I’d received in my life. Wait. That wasn’t correct. Double of zero is still zero, and I’d gotten two hugs today.

“Thank you,” I said.

“Of course. It is my job as a healer to think of my patient first.”

“I did have a heat. It lasted thirty-six hours, maybe. Since then, I’ve been feeling fine—tired, maybe—and I’ve been nauseous. But I’ve also been anxious because of coming here.”

“Of course. The quickest way for us to tell will be to do a urine test.” She opened a drawer, grabbed out a box, and handed it to me. “Have you had to do one of these before?”

I shook my head.

“It’s quite simple. There are cups in the bathroom. Fill it up to the line, dip the end of the stick in there for thirty seconds, take it out, and we’ll see the results in three minutes or less.”

I followed her instructions, washing my hands while the test took its time to work. When I finally looked back down at it, two lines stared at me.

I came out of the bathroom, and Garrick was there, eyes hopeful. I nodded.

“It’s positive.”

He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight. His nose was buried in my neck, and he kissed the mating mark. My whole body shuddered.

Meanwhile, Rosie let out a whoop.

“Sorry. It’s just... it’s very exciting to have the new Alpha have a pup on the way.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“We’re gonna take good care of you,” she assured me. “I’m gonna go get a few things around for you, and we can schedule your follow-up appointments. We’ll get you scheduled for a full workup of tests and an exam if you’re comfortable with that, so we know what to expect out of this pregnancy. This is so exciting. Congratulations!”

Once she left the room, Garrick pulled me into his arms again.

“Mate, I’m just so incredibly happy.”

“Me too,” I said. “This is amazing.”

“It truly is.”