Olivia Blake
It'd been hours since he'd left and there I stood, chopping celery for the extra stuffing – apparently Caleb loved stuffing. It was a boring task but at least it kept my mind of whatever was happening along the far edges of Silvermoon's territory – where my mate had gone bravely and without hesitation. It wasn't that I didn't think he'd come home, it was just all the other factors he couldn't control. I put a hand to my tummy as the pup moved.
“Almost ready for that celery.” Lara stood at the stove, frying some ingredients together.
It snapped me out of the day dream and finished the last few chops. I brought the cutting board over and she took it from me, shovelling the celery off into the hot pan.
“Don't take this wrong,” Lara said over the sizzle and hiss of the food. “But you look a bit stressed.”
As much as I'd rather not talk to Lara, I wasn't exactly surrounded by people to talk to. My mother would brush me off, she was enamoured with Caleb- he could do no wrong in her eyes, and my best friend hadn't talked to me in close to a month, other than the pack party last night.
“It's just.... it's Christmas. We have patrol for a reason and yet...” I felt my face flush and patted my cheek to calm it.
“Why does it bother you that he leaves? He'll come back.” Lara's monotone voice aggravated me more.
“Anything could happen,” I tried to explain.
“You should trust him.”
“I do.” Now I was defending myself and it felt odd.
Lara's breathing paused as she said, “he always comes back.”
I stared at her and her blind ability to follow him without worry and became envious of it. It hit me deep in the gut, like I didn't know him as well as I thought I did.
I snorted. “What does his brother think is going to happen? Obviously, Caleb will win.”
“Jackson was a trained combat-wolf. He was head of the patrol... before he started drinking too much.” Lara's eyes never looked up from the food but she did flip off the gas to start a new task. “It was before he met me so I only know what Caleb's told me, but I know he was unstoppable. He took a bad-Alpha once for their pack. I think Caleb was quite young.”
I shivered from the information. No wonder Caleb was taking every precautionary step against his brother and that left me sick to my stomach. “I don't feel good.” I grabbed the counter for support.
Lara joined me in an instant and helped me sit to a stool along the breakfast bar. “I'll get you some water.”
“Thanks,” I murmured.
“Even if Jackson was highly trained, Caleb is stronger and it sounds like he made good changes in the patrol.” Lara brought me over a glass of water and put it down in front of me.
“Just seems like he pissed off a bunch of the pack.” I took a sip, while hunching over the counter with a twinge of pain.
“He's Alpha now. It doesn’t matter.”
I glanced up at her. “I've never been good with the follow-blindly moto and I don't think others here are either. Our old Alpha wasn't as... Caleb, so you can see how it's been a big adjustment.”
Lara blinked at me in confusion. “But your old Alpha chose Caleb.”
I shrugged. “Yeah...”
“Caleb deserves all their respect.”
“He might be my mate, but I don't always have to agree with what he does.”
She stared at me blankly, blinking for much longer than felt comfortable. “Doesn't he punish you for speaking so badly?”
I scoffed. Had she really taken it to this level? Brought up his need to control and dominate everything in his life including me? “What are you going to do? Tell on me?”
Lara stared at me as I slipped off the stool.
“If you have to know, as much as he tried to push it on me – now he only punishes me if I want it.”
She wore her shock like a disease.
“I'm definitely not a submissive, he calls me a brat though. Did he call you that?”
Lara fumbled with her words. “I should check the turkey...”
I glanced out the sliding door across the kitchen when some movement caught my eye. I watched him shift on the deck and walked toward the door before he got there. Rolling the glass along the frame, he grabbed a towel from the covered stack as I opened it for him.
“Olivia,” he was breathing heavy. “How are you?”
“Did you find anything?”
He creased his brow from my abrupt questioning. “Excuse me?”
“Did you find whatever it was you had to leave me for?”
“There was nothing.” He clenched his jaw. “Let's go inside.”
I stepped back and let him in. He took the door from me and shut it, making sure it locked. Holding the towel up in one hand, he took my wrist in the other.
Lara gave us a glance as he said, “it smells great, Lara.”
“Olivia is helping too,” she said in that same meek tone she always had with him. Why was I just noticing this now?
“Go help then.” He kissed my cheek and left me before I could argue. I could follow him and confront him on never telling me Jackson was a combat-wolf or go back to helping Lara. As much as I wanted to follow him, I knew it would just end in an argument like always when I did that. I loved to call him out and he hated it. I trudged over to Lara.
“What now?”
“Gravy. The turkey is resting,” she explained. “Want to whisk it?” She handed me a wire utensil and pointed at the tiny pot of gravy.
I started on the task, sorta fuming on how he'd brushed me off, so wrapped up in myself I didn't notice when he walked up behind and put his arm around me. He kissed my shoulder, “you look beautiful.”
I shoved him away playfully. “I'm cooking.”
His hands took my waist and he steadied me. “Are you still mad at me, baby girl?”
I hated when he called me that when I was pissy because I almost always wanted to forgive him.
Lara left the kitchen, calling Krissy, and I ditched the whisk in the gravy to turn into him. My arms fell around his shoulders and I narrowed my eyes. “What about if we're having a girl.... won't she be your baby girl then?”
“I guess so.” His nose nudged mine as he went to kiss me.
I pulled my lips back though and he got antsy. “Then you won't be able to call me that, cause' it will be weird.”
“Fine. Then I'll call you mama, do you like that more?”
I shook my head in disapproval as he stole a kiss.
“Mama...” he growled. “Luna. Brat.”
I kissed him, whispering, “daddy.” My cheeks got hot and so did the tension between us. Until Lara clanked some platters behind us and he stepped back from me, leaving me to wipe the smudged lipstick away. I felt the wetness between my thighs and Caleb did notice, in his sly way of checking me out.
“Caleb...”
He turned to Lara and helped carve the turkey as I thought up all the ways I could get back at him for getting himself out of trouble with me. But first, I wanted him bad.
As they set the table, I got him a beer and noticed for the first time ever, Caleb had some domestic skills. Like dishing up food and setting a table. He pulled out the chair for me next to him at the head of the table and I was the first to sit.
He came over me and kissed my forehead, rubbing my belly again – the man was obsessed but actually. I knew it because we were nearing the due date of the pup and Caleb was getting more and more protective.
“One more Christmas surprise for you after dinner, mama.”
“What is it?” My stomach knotted. “And don't call me that yet.”
“You'll see later.” He sat down at the head of the table as Lara seated Krissy next to her. It was a quiet but nice dinner. I had by some miracle, convinced my mother that Christmas dinner could be spent apart – given she'd just seen me the night before.
Caleb finished his beer as I shoved the last bite of turkey in my mouth. I had ate too much and I groaned because of it.
“I hope you don't get sick,” he commented.
I smiled. “It will be worth it.”
“You never say that when you're puking at three in the morning.” He grumbled.
“Why do you remind me of these things?” I stuck my tongue out at him and he eyed me with a glare that used to freak me out. Now it made me giggle.
“I'll clean up.” Lara stood, starting to collect things up.
“I'll help,” Caleb stood and Lara gave him a weak thank you. He looked down at me as I sat rubbing my belly. “Let me do this and when I'm done, I'll give you that last gift.”
I nodded. “I'll just stay here and die.”
“Go take a bath,” he instructed in his no-business tone. “I saw you limping earlier and rubbing your side.”
“Don't be such a stalker,” I teased.
He helped me to my feet. “I'll be right back, Lara.”
“Sure...”
I followed him at his side and he walked me up the stairs to our room. As soon as my feet hit the carpets he wrapped himself around me, biting into my neck.
“Caleb...” I purred, slipping my head back so I stared up at the ceiling with rolling eyes. I hadn't been expecting the loving but I liked it.
He bit and nipped at the skin where he'd put his mark, mumbling, “you and our pup mean everything to me.”
I shut my eyes with a smile. “I love you.”
He growled, picking me up off the ground so I let out a startled, “ah!” When he put me down on the bed, he pushed me onto my side. “Just like that.”
I blushed when he started to undo his belt and his cock fell out, ready to be inside me. His hurried hands pushed my dress up my hips and pulled aside my dampened panties.
“Look at me.” His weight pressed all around me as I lay on my side, a surprisingly comfortable position when I had a pup bloating my stomach every which way. He brushed my hair out of my face and kissed me, keeping my cheek in his palm. “Perfect.”
My lips parted as I stared up at my mate and he put his large cock inside, pressing deep. I tried to vocalize how good he felt. “Tell me. Tell me...”
I tried to speak for him, only getting out, “yes, daddy.”
“God, yes.” He buried his mouth in my neck and sucked, fucking me gently and in some odd form of control for Caleb. “You're perfect, Olivia.” When I finally looked up to him, he was staring at me and I knew then, he was making love to me. My hardcore Alpha mate was being mushy in bed and his thrusts were just as mushy. Deep and slow and just blowing my brain up...
“Caleb,” I grabbed his cheeks as he kissed me.
His eyes shut from the intoxication and he slowed even more. “I love you,” he breathed all over my face and I loved it.
I smiled up at him as his eyes opened and the rest stayed slow, sweet, kind – he made such good love I wondered why we'd never done it before. It washed away any bit of questioning I'd had for him about his earlier excursion. His fingers found my aching, swollen heat and he played with me till I came, moaning into the bed Caleb or maybe Alpha – one or the other.