Chapter Seventeen

Leon

I would never try to control Tobias, but what I did do was insist that we visit Quinn the healer. Books had been delivered to my door as I preferred the physical copies over the eBooks and from what I'd read, my mate would need prenatal vitamins and there were certain foods he had to avoid and some foods he needed to have more of.

All the information we needed was in those books, plus the online information, but call me old-fashioned—I wanted him to see someone in person. Have Quinn look at his body and test his vitals. Make sure everything was okay.

Surprisingly, Tobias didn't protest this time. Not one bit.

I got some breakfast ready to go, along with an orange juice. I missed our breakfasts together. Pausing with my hands braced on the edge of the counter, I let a breath of frustration out. Tobias told me every night that he was tired and needed his rest. So, each night, I would come back to this house alone and sleep in my bed. My bed had never been cold before Tobias left his scent on the sheets and the comforter but never returned. We had always stayed at his house after that. Until he didn't want company.

I was a patient man but these weeks of sleeping without him. Waking up without him.

They were slowly driving me to madness.

My jackal was pissed off all the time. No matter how much I ran the son of a bitch, there was only one person who would make him calm again. That person who kept us at arm's length.

I drove over to Tobias' house and knocked on the door. It felt stupid, knocking on his door. We should share the same door, and I shouldn't have to announce my arrival at our home.

Silliness, if you asked me, but my mate had some trust issues.

Hopefully, we wouldn't spend a lifetime with this wall between us.

"Good morning," he said and shut the door behind him. He was paler than usual.

"Omega, are you okay?"

"I didn't get much sleep last night. Kept tossing and turning."

"I'm sorry. Maybe you'll have a chance to catch a nap today."

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Naps are the best."

We walked to the truck and, of course, I opened his door for him. All of this felt like we were still in the dating phase sometimes, but I swore I would wait for him. As long as it took.

"I made you breakfast, if you want to eat. Are you still throwing up in the mornings?"

"No. I'm not. Sometimes, I get a bit nauseated, but it's easing up. Thank you. I think I will eat."

I nodded and got into the truck, driving us the short distance to the healer's office. We were welcomed right in. Quinn recognized my omega immediately and asked if he was all healed from the burn. While I hadn't personally been to the office, I'd heard around town that he was the best in the state. Shifters and even some humans came from all around to be under his care. His mate helped him run the office.

"Right this way." He led us to a room down the hall. Healer offices felt more like home than the sterile, antiseptic-smelling hospitals humans used. I'd been in a few but never wanted to go back.

"What brings you in today?" Quinn asked, sitting in a chair opposite us.

Tobias looked at me and then back to the healer. "I'm pregnant. I took a test."

Quinn smiled. "Congratulations, you two. Is something going on that concerns you?"

"I'm really tired all the time but at night, I have trouble sleeping. Some foods make me sick, just by the smell of them but that's normal, right?"

Quinn nodded. "Most omegas get food aversions but I'm concerned about the lack of sleep. Does he toss and turn?" The healer asked me the question. He asked me because he assumed we slept next to each other, as we should.

"Not that I know of. But I'm a heavy sleeper."

Quinn wrote down some things before putting the clipboard away. "As far as sleep is concerned, let's stay away from the electronic devices after sundown. Try a warm bath with some lavender Epsom salts. Maybe a cup of lemon balm tea before bed? Chamomile isn't recommended for pregnancy so stay away from that. Those things should help you. Alpha, maybe give him a foot massage at night, things to help him rest and relax."

I nodded. "Of course."

Tobias looked at me. He and I both knew some of these things would be possible, but most I was not there for. I would try my damnedest to help him as much as I could before he asked me to go home.

The healer said it was too early to listen to the heartbeat, and we could come back at another time. He gave us advice on caffeine intake. Rest. Light exercise. He advised Tobias to rest as much as possible since he worked a hectic job. He joked about me doing the housework and laundry. Of course, I would try, but since I didn't live with my omega, some would be tough.

Still, I promised myself I would do everything I could.

We received a package as we left the office. Prenatal vitamins. Some books. Websites containing good information instead of having us search online and find bogus advice.

Quinn was a good healer, and I was glad my Tobias was under his care. Before we left the building, Tobias stopped to use the restroom, and while I was waiting outside the door, Quinn came out of his office. I took the opportunity to ask a question that had been in the back of my mind for some time.

"Quinn do you have just a second?"

"Yes, of course." He paused next to me.

"I have a kind of odd question. When Tobias got burned, why didn't you tell him to shift and heal?"

He blinked at me. "He said he didn't have anywhere to shift, and he seemed pretty stubborn on the topic, so I suggested rest."

Stubborn. Sounded like my omega. "Thanks for clearing that up."

"I'm sorry," Tobias whispered as we got back into the truck. I knew what he was apologizing for, but I also knew he wasn't budging on his stance of me not living with him and him not living with me.

"Don't be," I whispered and put my hand on his cheek. "We'll figure it out. I'll help you as best I can."

"Leon," he said, "did you want to go get some lunch? Maybe I could cook you something?"

Sweet mate was trying to apologize in a way other than words, but I was frustrated. Something could happen to Tobias, and I wouldn't be there to help him. He would even sleep better with his alpha by his side, holding him, but he refused to let me. There was nothing I could do to convince him of that though.

"No, it's okay. I'm sure you have work to do, and I don't want to add to it."

His eyebrows bunched. "Making a meal for you isn't work, Leon."

I nodded. "I know. I'm just…I'm not hungry anymore."