Cassian's POV
“Fuck, you gotta stop going through my stuff, Ryder,” I cursed, snatching the test results from my stupid beta’s hands.
“You bastard, when were you planning to tell me this, huh?” Ryder fumed, marching towards me before he grabbed my collar. “You're keeping secrets like this now? Cassian, what the fuck are you doing? You don't want to tell the pack?”
“Fuck, Ryder, just give me some space and sit down.” I pushed him away, feeling irritated and tired. Ryder gave me a heated glare before he let go of me. “Look man, I'm not keeping this a secret because I want to. Ivy requested this. She wants to reveal this when she's ready,”
Ryder’s gaze immediately softened, a look of understanding dawning on his features. “Really?”
“Yes, really. Ry, there's nothing more I want to do than scream to the world that my omega is carrying my pup. That's all I think about now. That's all I live and breathe for. Did you really think I would want to keep something like that hidden away?”
“Well, of course!” Ryder shrugged. “You weren't a saint. Considering the types of assholeries you've been exhibiting towards your mate, it's no surprise that I've thought that. You don't have to act so fake hurt,” the beta scoffed.
I pushed my tongue against my cheek, throwing my best friend a glare before I turned to put the test results away. “Get out before I kick you out,”
“Why does she want to keep it a secret? Is she scared that the pack won't be happy?” Ryder pulled back a chair and flopped down on it as he asked.
“She's young, Ry. And pregnancy is not a simple thing. That's a big step. A big change. I'm sure she wasn't expecting this…. I should've been more careful during my rut….”
“I understand,” Ryder nodded. “But you don't have to blame yourself, Cass. It's not your fault. You weren't planning on spending your rut with her.” He sighed.
“I know that but….things were starting to become alright between us. I'm scared that this will change everything…”
“Do you hear yourself? That's not going to happen? Your omega is pregnant and that means your alpha is going to be hella attached to her. The same goes for her omega. This will only strengthen the bond. But I do understand your concern. It feels like you were just snatched and placed in the middle of a mountain you were trying to climb. Now you're lost and don't know how to climb the rest of it. It's normal to feel that way, Cass. You'll both figure it out,” Ryder smiled.
I raised my brow at his words. “Sometimes I feel like you're smarter than you look,”
“What does that mean? I look stupid?”
“Now, when did I ever say that?” There is again. I rolled my eyes at his tendency to over-exaggerate my words into things I never thought of.
“But I know you meant that,” Ryder took a pen and threw it at the back of my head.
I pursed my lips and turned around to give him a look. “Seriously, Ry? Get out,”
“Whatever, I was about to go anyways, you ungrateful fucker,” the man stood up and walked away with a huff while I watched him with a small smile.
—-
“Cassian,” Ivy's soft whisper of my name made me turn to her immediately as soon as I walked into the room.
“Were you waiting for me, love?” My feet took me to her in a minute and before I knew it, my arms were around her and my nose was deep in the crook of her neck, scenting every bit of her so she smelled like me all the time.
Ivy let out a sigh and went pliant in my arms as she wrapped her arms around me in a comforting hug. “I haven't seen you today at all. I missed you. I missed you so much I even cried,”
“You cried?” I pulled back to look at her, concern seeping into my voice. My alpha paced, unsettled by the fact that our omega was upset. “What made you cry?”
“I just…I don't know…I felt very weird and needy. It was hell,” Ivy bit her lips, looking down as her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of red in embarrassment.
“Hey, you don't have to feel embarrassed for needing me. I'm your mate. Whenever you want to see me, you can seek me out. Or call me. I'll be here before you even know it,” I placed a soft kiss on her forehead and smiled. “I'm sorry. Work kept me busy today. We had a business meeting,”
“It's fine,” Ivy nodded but I knew she was sulking. She had a cute pout on her lips that mine itched to kiss away. I was about to do it when suddenly I remembered about Ryder.
“Ivy…. I…I have to tell you something,”
“Huh?” She looked up at me, doe eyes wide as she tilted her head prettily. My heart tightened. How can she look so fucking adorable? Everything about her is just so pretty and dainty, it's messing with my head. My alpha felt torn apart not knowing if I should protect her or ruin her. “Alpha?”
That was all it took for me to snap out of my thoughts. “Umm…” I swallowed before looking at her. “Ryder found out…. I am so sorry, Ivy. He saw the test results in my study. It's-It’s my fault. I should've hid it better. I should've been careful, I'm so sorry. But I promise he won't tell anyone. I told him that you're not ready and he's not someone who goes around sharing something private—”
“Alpha, it's fine.” Ivy stopped me with a finger to my lips while she gave me a soft smile.
“It is?”
“Yeah, it is. I trust Ryder. Besides, I think it's time to let everyone know… We can't hide this forever after all,”
“No, we can wait until you are ready. You don't have to–”
“I know but I can't be selfish like this. This is not only my pup. It's yours too.” She placed a hand on the small swell of her belly. “And I feel guilty every time I look at your parents and the pack members. I'm keeping such a beautiful news a secret. They deserve to know. And my pup deserves all the love they could get,”
“Are you sure?” I asked, taking her face into my hands as I searched her eyes for even a bit of hesitance.
“Yes, I'm sure,”
____
“I knew it! Oh goddess, I knew it! I knew something was up when I saw you get nauseous often. I didn't ask because I knew you both would tell us when the time is right,” my mother grinned, her arms wrapped around my mate in a tight hug as she talked.
“Really? You knew? Why didn't you tell me?” My dad looked at her, wide-eyed and amazed.
“I had my doubts but it wasn't confirmed. That's why I didn't tell you. You could've guessed it from her swelling stomach,” she placed a hand on my omega's stomach and Ivy blushed at the gesture.
“What? I thought it was because she was eating healthy.” My dad looked at his mate, still confused about how she figured it out. My mom only rolled her eyes in reply.
“Do you plan to announce it to the pack soon, Cass?” Ryder's father asked while taking a sip out of his wine.
My eyes flickered back to my mate, Ivy gave me a nod. “Yes, we do,” I smiled. “We'll hold a celebratory dinner and announce it then,”
“That's amazing. The pack is going to be overjoyed to hear this,” my dad smiled.
“We have a lot to do. We have to look for names and shop for the pup and oh! We have to build a nursery! There's a lot to do,” my mom gasped while she counted all the things to be done.
I closed my eyes and heaved a sigh. “We still have about six months left for all that, mom. You don't have to rush it,”
“Six months is not enough at all. This is my grandchild you're talking about. Do you think I'm going to let that pup come to this world with little to no preparation? Absolutely no! This is the time to spoil my daughter-in-law with everything.” She huffed before taking my mate's hand. “Come with me, Ivy. I'll give you some books and magazines related to pregnancy. I have them in the library,” Ivy was blushing and smiling as my mother dragged her away to the library.
As soon as they were out of the room, my father gave my shoulders a strong pat. “Congrats, my son!” He looked at me with a wide grin. “You're finally going to learn how much of a pain in the ass it is to raise a pup. Good luck to you,”
I saw Ryder spit out the wine he sipped as he snorted out a laugh. I rolled my eyes at them both. “My pup will be kind and good-natured like my omega,”
“I truly wish that they're more like you just so that I could see you suffer the way you made me suffer when you were young,” he laughed and I gave him a look that said ‘seriously?’ before shaking my head.
“Oh, I would love to see that!” Ryder snickered while his parents smiled.
“All of you are unbelievable,” I scoffed before walking out. “Ryder, follow me. You're training the kids today,”
“What? No,”
“Yes, that's an order,”
“You rascal, you're getting back at me, aren't you?”
“I don't know what you're talking about,”
_____
Ivy thanked the woman as she received another gift. She smiled politely and answered a few questions asked by the woman before turning to me. “I'm getting a lot of gifts. We should've told them not to bring anything. I feel bad that they have to spend their money on this,”
“Ivy, even if we had said that, they wouldn't have listened. It's a custom to shower the Luna with gifts when she is pregnant. We had mentioned in the invitation card that they don't have to bring anything but people won't listen. You don't know how noisy it was when everyone got the invitation. This is something a lot of them didn't think would happen after all the things that had happened in this pack. They are over the moon at the possibility of having an heir to take over the pack after me.”
“But still—”
“Shh…Don't overthink it, little one. This is the time for you to be happy,” I smiled, placing a soft kiss on her head as I took the gift from her hands.
“Luna,” a high-pitched voice suddenly cut through the air.
We both looked at the source of the voice to find two girls from our pack, Liya and Jessica, standing there with a gift box and blinding smiles on their faces.
Ivy froze for a moment before she forced a smile. My alpha perked up at the sudden change in our omega's mood and scent. I looked at her curiously as she greeted them with a fake smile. They looked close to her age so I assumed that they were familiar with each other.
“Congratulations, Luna. We're here with a gift for you!” Liya spoke while I raised a brow at her obviously fake excited tone.
What's going on?
“Hi….um…thank you,” Ivy nodded and took the gift from her hands.
“Can we talk to you for a moment? We have something to ask you,” Jessica said suddenly, surprising me.
“What is it?” I raised a brow.
“Oh, Alpha,” Liya smiled shyly, side-eyeing her friend before she let out a small giggle. “It's girl talk. If you don't mind, can we take your mate away for a minute?”
I looked at Ivy. She didn't seem so comfortable with their presence so I was about to refuse when she suddenly gave me a small smile. “It's fine, Cass,”
I couldn't help but frown. It's fine? If it's fine, then why does she look so bothered to see them?
The girl didn't wait any longer to whisk my mate away to talk. I tried to calm my wolf. I just gotta keep an eye on them. They don't seem like a threat.
Well, whatever. They're nothing my omega can't take care of.