Chapter Two

Thorn

I wrap Eve's hair up in my hand, keeping it well off her face.

"There you go," I murmur. "Good girl."

She groans as if to say, How can you possibly be calling me a ‘good girl' right now ? I hold back a smile, stroking up and down her spine.

Riley stands in the doorway, concerned. "Is she okay?"

"I'm okay," Eve answers for herself, catching her breath. "I'm sorry—it's just—the smell—"

It's like I can see her cheeks turning green right before she grips the basin, retching harder.

"The door," I snap. "Close it."

Lips pursed, Riley nods, shutting the door on her way out. I hear her muffled orders to Red and Marcus—something about dumping the eggs.

Tentatively, I push out my pheromones, hoping the scent calms Eve's sensitive stomach.

"I'm sorry," she says again, voice wavering. "I interrupted your teeth."

Huh ?

Only then do I remember I still have my toothbrush in my mouth, clenched between my back teeth. Hastily, I stand, rinsing my mouth out. "Interrupt my teeth whenever you want, omega," I tell her, hoisting her to her feet.

She's pale, but pinks up nicely when I flush the toilet, dab her face with a wet flannel, and give her a few sips of water. My raging inner alpha lowers back down to a simmer, satisfied she's been taken care of.

We venture back into the kitchen. Eve seems surprised to find a bowl of oatmeal waiting for her on the bench.

"What happened to the eggs?" she asks.

Marcus and Red share a frown. "Didn't they make you sick?" Marcus asks.

"Well … a little."

I give her a look. One she pointedly ignores.

"Right." Red shrugs, like it should be obvious. "So we dumped them out."

Eve freezes. "What?"

Her eyes well up with tears. I spin her around, my gaze flicking down to her stomach like I can somehow see inside to make sure she and the pup are both okay. She throws herself into my chest.

"Princess!" Marcus gushes. "What's wrong?"

"We can make more eggs," Red says earnestly.

"Y–you worked so hard," she cries, "and I wasted them."

Riley swoops in, rubbing her back. "Not at all. Think of it this way—Red still got to learn how to whisk!"

Eve sniffles, peering out over my arm. "Yeah?"

I hold her tighter, breathing a silent sigh of relief. No-one's hurt . Our pup is safe, if not wreaking absolute havoc on Eve's hormones.

It's going to take a lot of getting used to—seeing her get worked up like this out of the blue. My alpha can't seem to distinguish between a mood swing and imminent danger. Maybe I'll get better with practice—another seven months of practice, to be exact—but somehow, I doubt it.

I don't let her leave my lap until she's done eating, feeling her relax a little more with every bite.

For the first time in weeks, Eve does not offer to help clean up. She thanks my packmates for breakfast, then murmurs something about brushing her teeth.

"I'll give you a hand," Riley blurts out.

"It's alright," I answer, guiding the small of Eve's back. "I got her."

Eve and I head upstairs. If I weren't worried about giving her motion sickness, I'd sweep her right off her feet.

It occurs to me only as she's brushing her teeth, avoiding her own reflection, what else this could be about. Morning sickness is one thing, but Eve's had plenty of practice being sick by now. So maybe what's bothering her is something different.

"You're worried about tomorrow," I say, trying to catch her eye in the mirror. "Going to the city."

She grimaces, rinsing her mouth out. "I just … wish it didn't have to be like this."

You're not the only one, I want to growl. That the courts would demand we return to the city for every goddamn appointment, just to prove to that Eve and the pup are still healthy, is infuriating. It doesn't matter that we won the case and proved to the world that Eve is where she fucking belongs—we're still doing their song and dance.

At least, until the pup is born.

I know these were the conditions of our win, and I have a lot to be grateful for, but fuck if I'm not tired of jumping through hoops for those city assholes.

"I just want it to be us, you know?" She shakes her head. "This pup, our family . I know it's selfish, but I don't want to share it. Any of it."

"I like it when you're selfish."

She smiles. "Even if it makes me all hormonal?"

I quirk an eyebrow. "Hormonal? I hadn't noticed."

Then she laughs, and I kiss the top of her head, and in that moment, everything is exactly as it should be.