Chapter Seventeen

West

“Let’s take a walk around the house to make sure we have everything you need.” Alex wrapped his arm around my waist. I stretched my neck one way and then the other, trying to relieve some of the stress of moving.

I still hadn’t decided what to do with the house. It was a beautiful home, inside and out. I loved every part of it, but it was my home with Emile. Alex and I were starting something new.

“Sure.” I started up the stairs, remembering how Emile wanted each step wiped down by hand. He always said he would get to it, but I ended up taking on the task just to please him.

Of course, he never appreciated any of that.

As we perused the bedrooms upstairs, I cleared my mind of the bad memories. Sure, we had good ones. Emile could be charming and funny at times, but those were sparks and glimmers in a relationship that was otherwise stale and neglectful.

No matter how good an omega I tried to be, I couldn’t make him love me more.

“You want me to leave you alone to do this? You seem lost in thought.”

He removed his arm and turned to go. As hard as this was for me, seeing me sad about leaving this house had to be difficult for him.

“No, mate. Stay with me. I’m just saying goodbye.”

“To Emile?” His expression didn’t change, but my wolf felt the wave of sadness emanating from his.

“No. To a life I don’t live anymore. I’m moving on with you—with our cub—toward something better.”

We moved to the guest bedroom downstairs where Alex opened up the closet. “There’s a sweater in here. Do you want to bring it or leave it here when you decide what to do with the house?”

I walked over and reached for the top shelf where the sweater sat folded. Alex touched my belly gently, and I gave up reaching. My mate often rubbed my belly as a sign he would prefer to do whatever I was doing. He would never tell me what to do but whatever he did, he did because he cared for me and was protecting me.

“Here you go,” he said, handing me the sweater.

It was Emile’s. One he had told me he lost. Perhaps he’d placed it here and thought he had. I added it to the list of things I would never understand, to the list of things I simply had to make peace with never knowing. “Thank you.”

I worked on detaching myself from this place and as I got to the front door, satisfied with our look-over, I left the sweater on a shelf meant for keys and such and sighed. “I’m ready.”

Alex nodded and wrapped his arms around me from behind. “Then let’s go. I’m planning on dinner in bed and a massage for my mate.”

“No. I mean, yes, that too. I think I want to sell this place. I thought about us renovating it or remodeling it to suit our needs, but we need a new space. A place you and I can call home.”

“If you don’t like my home, let’s find a new one.” His chin was on my shoulder as both hands made circles along my ever-growing belly. I had to put on one of his shirts this morning since mine were getting tight.

“Maybe. But your home is fine for now. I’m thinking about the future. With the money from the sale of this one, we can find a great place with room for our cubs to run.”

Alex stiffened behind me. “Mate, did you just say cubs? As in plural cubs?”

“I did. Did you only want one?”

His hands roamed down my belly and grazed over my zipper. “No, I want all the babies you will give me.”

“Hey, Alex?”

“Yes, mate.”

“Let’s go home and change.”

He walked around and came to face me. “Change? What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

“I thought we could stop by the club. Have some fun.”

My alpha’s eyes flashed with darkness as one of his eyebrows rose. “We’ll have to be gentle with you.”

“I need the release,” I moaned.

“Yes, you do. I can see that. Plus, I can’t deny my mate. But you have to eat first. You haven’t had anything since lunch.”

“Yes, Sir.”

He gave me a warning growl. The sound shot straight to my dick. “Save it for the club.”