The Alpha’s Mate Who Cried Wolf

Chapter 26

Three months later,

Gently waking Ryker up, I cover his handsome face in kisses.

‘I don’t want to wake up, He murmurs. I throw a pillow at his face.

‘Hey!’ He sits up and throws a pillow back at me. I lean backward, dodging the pillow. I poke out my

tongue: ‘Ha! You missed!’ | tease.

‘Oh, did I?’ He says, jumping out of bed and running toward me, flinging me over his shoulder and

whirling us around in a

circle.

‘Ryker! Stop!’ I giggle.

‘You’ll make me sick,’ I say. Ryker stops.

‘Well, you’re no fun!’ He feigns a pout.

‘No fun? We are always having fun, I state.

‘True’ He says, lifting me over his shoulder.

Ryker runs into the dining room downstairs with a grin on his face. I scream his name the whole way

down. ‘Ryker!’ I yell, trying not to laugh at his playfulness, Finally, he sits in a chair and pulls me onto

his lap.

‘There, I put you down,’ he says, winking at me. I roll my eyes.

‘Did you roll your eyes at me, Luna?’ he laughs.

Everyone at the table eats in silence, smirking and trying to contain themselves at our antics.

‘Since we have the day off, I’d like to take you into town and spoil you, he says, nuzzling his face into

my neck. I nod in agreement and kiss his cheek. We finish breakfast and make our way to the shopping

strip.

‘Where would you like to go to first?’ He asks. I look around at all the shops and can’t help looking at

the ice cream shop.

‘Ice cream!’ I yell, dragging him across the road.

‘Ice cream? We just ate breakfast!’ He replies.

‘I know, but you said you wanted to spoil me today, and it’s been so long since I’ve had ice cream, I

say, pondering all the flavours I might choose.

‘Ice cream it is!’ He says. I squeal with excitement.

“Yay! Thank you!’ I say, wrapping my arms around him.

Entering the ice creamery, a lovely shop assistant named Maisie greets us.

Alpha. Luna. How can I help you?’ Maisie asks. I look at the wafer cones and the different ice cream

flavours in the glass

cabinet.

I’ll have the triple-scoop cone: one scoop of chocolate, one scoop of mint, one scoop of vanilla, and

one scoop of the rainbow, please. Make it massive!’ I tell Maisie. I surprised Ryker with my order.

‘Astrid, that’s a lot of ice cream for a werewolf,’ he says, his hands in his pockets, as he waits patiently.

Maisie scoops four different flavours of ice cream into a wafer cone just for me.

‘I can’t help it. I’m so hungry,’ I say, my arms folded against myself, as I lean against the glass,

watching Maisie add the last scoop of the rainbow to my wafer cone.

‘Here you go, Luna. That’s yours, Maisie smiles. I’m instantly in a cheerful mood, taking the ice cream

from her. I bite into it without hesitation.

“Thank you so much, Maisie, I say, happily skipping out of the store. I sense Ryker rolling his eyes at

me behind my back.

I saw that!’ I laugh.

‘Saw what?’ He asks.

‘You rolled your eyes at me, I say.

‘How do you know?’ He asks.

‘I don’t know. I just know that you did it,’ I say and continue to

eat my ice cream.

‘Where should we go next?’ He asks, licking grooves into a scoop of chocolate ice cream in his single-

scoop cone.

‘Medley’s clothing store. I need some new jeans and stuff, I announce. All the ice cream in my cone

has already gone, leaving the cone with its chocolate-filled point to be devoured.

‘Okay,’ he says, smiling. I wolf down my cone, savouring the rich chocolate end, and enter the store.

‘Alpha, Luna: it has been a while since I’ve seen you both, Medley smiles.

‘It has been a while, Medley. We have been very busy,’ I say, smiling coyly at Ryker.

‘Of course. I can imagine all the paperwork you have, now that Shady Crest is your territory,’ she says,

smiling.

‘Yes, the paperwork has been insane, Ryker laughs.

I’m after some new clothes. All my others don’t seem to fit as comfortably as they used to,’ I explain.

‘You might be interested in our new range over here, Medley says, pointing to a wall of clothing that

has just arrived.

Walking over to the new arrivals, I grab a pair of jeans and a shirt I like and hold them in front of my

figure in a mirror.

‘This dress is nice, Ryker says, passing me a dress to try on. I enter the changing room, lock the

cubicle door, and push my legs into skinny blue jeans. I almost fall over trying to do the zip up.

‘Are you okay in there?’ Medley asks.

‘I think there’s something wrong with the size, Medley. They don’t fit.’ I walk out of the change room in a

shirt and skinny blue jeans. The shirt is extremely tight around my bust and my tummy, and the zip and

the button on the jeans won’t fasten. Medley and Ryker giggle.

‘Why are you laughing?’ | ask. They cannot contain their laughs.

I love the shirt, babe, Ryker chuckles.

‘But it doesn’t fit,’ I say.

I’ll see what else I can find you, He asks with a cheeky look. I roll my eyes and go back into the change

rooms.

‘I saw that!’ Ryker says.

‘Saw what?’ | ask.

“You rolled your eyes at me, he says. I can’t help but laugh.

‘Okay, okay, I mumble, locking the cubicle door behind me. Ryker tosses some clothes over the cubicle

door.

‘Try these.’ He says.

I put the dress on that Ryker chose: it’s stretchy and strapless and sits mid-thigh, exposing a lot of leg.

‘This fits much better, I say, showing him. He eyes me up and down with approval and pins me against

the shop wall to kiss me. Our display of affection exceeds what’s acceptable in a

shop setting.

‘Should I leave?’ Medley asks, her face a rosy, embarrassed, pink hue. We giggle and blush.

T’ll just be in the office out back if you need me,’ Medley yells out, leaving us quickly and tottering off to

her office.

We choose more clothes, and I try them on. I place the new clothes I want on the counter, ready to pay,

and ding the bell on the desk. Medley totters back out and scans the items and puts them into a

shopping bag. I’m happy to have clothes that will fit me.

‘Let’s go for a run!’ I say as we leave the store.

‘Sounds good,’ Ryker smiles.

We reach the woods and leave the shopping bags and my new clothes by a large tree. We undress,

and I stuff our clothes in the bag with the new items. Ryker shifts into his wolf and runs off. He pauses

when he realises, I’m not following him. ‘Astrid? You haven’t shifted. Are you okay?’ He links.

‘I don’t know. I can’t shift. Nothing is happening. Why can’t | shift?’ I link back, with apparent panic in

my voice. Ryker shifts back and dresses.

‘It’s okay. You’re probably just too tired, Ryker says, kissing my forehead. I shake my head.

‘I don’t feel tired,’ I reply. Ryker takes my hand.

‘Come on, let’s go home,’ he says, and I nod and follow for a while before stopping.

‘Astrid?’ He asks. I run to the closest bush and throw up.

‘Let’s go home. I’ll call the doctor, Ryker says, concern in his voice. My surroundings spin, and I feel

faint before collapsing and blacking out

I hear the sounds of hospital machines beeping and whirring. I open my eyes and put my arm up to

cover them from the bright lights.

“Am I in the hospital?’ | ask.

‘Astrid. You’re awake!’ Ryker says, taking my hand and smiling.

“You blacked out. I brought you straight to the hospital. The doctor will be here shortly to speak with us.

They took some blood to run some tests. I’m sure you’re fine, though. It’s just a precaution. A nurse

enters the room with a monitor on a trolley

‘Alpha, Luna: the doctor is on his way. He asked me to get some things set up for him.’ she smiles,

plugging a machine into the powerpoint on the wall, switching it on and leaving the room.

‘Alpha, it’s been quite some time since you’ve been here,’ the doctor smiles.

‘Doctor Herman. Is she going to be, okay?’ Ryker asks.

‘Yes. Astrid will be fine. Her results came back positive. We’ll do an ultrasound to see how far along she

is.’ Ryker and I look at each other, confused. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

‘Positive for what?’ | ask. Doctor Herman chuckles.

‘Pregnancy,’ he says. My mouth drops open in shock.

I’m pregnant?’ | ask.

‘Yes. Congratulations to you both, doctor Herman says, shaking Ryker’s hand.

I’m going to be a Dad?’ He asks the doctor. The doctor nods and smiles, then squirts some gel across

my lower abdomen and glides a sort of scanner device over the gel.

“And there it is,’ he gestures to the screen.

Frozen in awe, staring at the medical screen, we see two little arms, two little legs, a body and a head.

We can even hear a heartbeat.

‘That’s our baby?’ I ask, looking up at Ryker. His eyes well with emotion as he kisses the back of my

hand.

‘Yes. That’s our perfect baby, he whispers. Tears of joy and happiness overwhelm me.

“Ryker – we’re having a baby!’ I cry. Ryker squeezes my hand and kisses my forehead.

‘You’re going to be the best mother. I just know it,’ he says, beaming.

‘How far along is she, Doctor Herman? Ryker asks.

‘She is twelve weeks, so there’ll be no more shifting until the pup’s birth, he explains. He grabs some

paper towels and wipes all the gel off my stomach.

‘That’s why you couldn’t shift today, Ryker ponders. Before can pull my shirt back down, and after

Doctor Herman has finished wiping the gel off my stomach, Ryker kisses my belly.

‘You have exhausted yourself, Astrid. I suggest bed rest for a few days. Avoid wearing yourself out. We

don’t want you collapsing again, Doctor Herman says. He prints the ultrasound pictures, and Ryker

tucks them safely in his pocket before scooping me up in his arms.

‘Time to take my family home to rest in bed, he says, leaning down to kiss my forehead before kissing

me softly on the lips. We leave the hospital room beaming.

We arrive back home at the packhouse beaming with our baby news.

Ryker mind-links everyone in the packhouse to come downstairs for an urgent meeting. Mia and

Amelia are the first to take a seat in the dining room. Then, Leon and Seth come running down the

stairs frantically. You would think the packhouse was on fire.

‘Luna, Alpha. Is everything okay?’ Seth pants.

‘Take a seat, Seth.’ Ryker gestures to the empty chair.

‘Now everyone needs to listen carefully. Things are going to be changing drastically around here.’

Mia and Amelia give each other a look of worry.

‘What’s the cause for the drastic changes around here?’ Mia asks.

‘Let’s just say the drastic changes are for the better, not the worse.’ I say.

Ryker takes my hand endearingly. Astrid and I would like to announce we are having a baby. Astrid is

pregnant.’

Amelia and Mia jump up off their seats and begin screaming with joy as they race over to me and hug

me tight.

‘A baby? You’re having a baby?’ Amelia asks.

‘Yes, I’m already three months pregnant.

Amelia and Mia scream again while the guys block an ear with one hand and pat Ryker on the back

with their other hand, congratulating him.