Mated to a Lion

Page 11

I woke alone the next morning. But on the nightstand was a note. He had to run out to town he's see me no later than dinner. I showered dressed and headed down for breakfast. The house was empty again. I had a few visits to make then I wanted to look at the room for the nursery. But first, I got out my phone and hit it to dial my dad. He answered on the second ring.

"Ann, hows my little girl?"

"I'm good daddy. What are you doing?"

"Reading my paper and drinking coffee. What about you?"

"Just finished breakfast. I'm going to head out to visit some of the pride soon. I wanted to tell you some good news though."

"Good news that means I get a new name?" He asks hopeful.

"Yep that kind of news. I'm pregnant."

"Congratulations baby." He was smiling into the phone I could tell by the way he talked. "I imagine your mate was happy about this." I chuckled.

"Oh yes. When I told him he picked me up and twirled me around. Papa did you know he'd been mated before?"

"Yeah, some young man he knew from school. He died in some sort of accident."

"He fell down the stairs while pregnant. It killed him and the baby both."

"Well you be careful. We don't need a repeat of history."

"Did you know him at all?"

"I met him once. Nice enough fellow. Was strong in a way but soft in a lot of others. Most considered him a rather weak queen but Darius loved him to distraction and indulged him in everything. Most believe that Darius blames himself for the boys accident."

"Why?"

"Because he'd been gone a lot in the weeks before it happened. He didn't know that the pregnancy was getting difficult for the boy. It was discovered after the fact that their had been twins but only one survived the other had died and that's why he'd been feeling bad. When he fell it caused early labor. I don't know the particulars of his death, all of this is rumor and what was floating about. You were still in high school so I doubt you paid much attention to it. Darius is more than a few years older than you."

"Only seven if I remember right."

"So, I have to ask though it might annoy you, he's been careful making love to you right. The mating on your run hurt you. If he's still doing it... well I'll stop him." Dad was growling. I smiled. I knew my father loved me, things like this told me so.

"He's been passionate but he hasn't' hurt me again. I think he was just desperate at the time to have me submit."

"There is no earthly reason for him to act like that." I felt the need to defend my mate.

"I think, given what I've learned about Alan that, he's poured himself into the protection of his pride. It's what he had to fill the void. The thing he needed was a tie to the pack so that he'd have such a large portion of his border, our border, filled. It's no excuse but it does explain why he was so... committed to getting me as mate."

"Well hopefully he's made it up to you?" I smiled.

"He has, in a way. Enough that I don't hold it against him anymore. Besides I have a baby on the way, makes you not care about silly stuff in the past. Speaking of that. I better go. I have visits to do them decorating to plan."

"Alright. I love you Ann."

"Love you too daddy." What daddy told me was more than what anyone around here said, and I was starting to wonder if the reason Darius was so aloof and even absent in a way is that he didn't want to care for someone like that again. It would hurt to love and lose again. But then again that could be my hopeless romantic side reading into what was just Darius being a jerk. No, I wasn't going to romanticize him. I did my visits then came home. When I got back to the house Walter was waiting for me. He helped me measure the room out. Then he sat around planning furniture placement. We were stripping the bed so it could be moved out when Darius showed up in the doorway.

"So, getting ideas?" He asked me.

"Yes I was hoping you would sit with me after dinner and I could get your opinion."

"I'd like that." He beckoned me into the hall. Several large boxes sat there.

"Whats this?"

"Things I put in storage a long time ago. Things that we didn't get to use. Its plain wood so you could paint it and it'll match anything. You don't have to but you can use it for the babies room." He had gotten the furniture out of storage for me to use. Furniture that he and Alan had bought for their baby. He'd been steadfast in his refusal of letting me into Alan's place, but here he was giving me the furniture they had picked.

"Thank you. That saves me a very big headache." I looked at the labels. A crib, changing table, rocker, and dresser. All in bare wood. "I had been thinking of doing a theme of little baby animals, all kinds of them. Do you think he'd approve of that?" I asked not sure he'd be open to discussing Alan.

"I do. He'd wanted to do a Noah's ark theme. I kept teasing him that it would help the babies hunting instinct." I laughed.

"What did he say to that?"

"Told me keep my blood thirsty brain on babies not maiming things." I chuckled.

"You know that gives me an idea. How cute would it be to do the Noah's ark thing but use all baby animals instead of grown ones." My brain was whirling with ideas.

"It'd be cute." I smiled at him. What had happened that had him change so much? He was so calm, he wasn't angry and didn't seem resentful of me anymore.

"Want to help me move the big stuff out of the bedroom. Or help Walter I guess. I was just going to direct him. For now I was just going to move it over into the other guest room. The plain whit walls are fine so I don't need to paint. Just decorate."

"Sure." I watched and directed. It was time for dinner when we got the room emptied. I invited Walter to stay but he said he had a date and hurried off.

Dawn and Jane were there like normal. I looked at Jane and decided to tease her.

"Don't you have a kitchen at your house?" She snorted.

"Yeah but that means I have to clean up and I'd rather be here and dirty your kitchen." I laughed.

"Well I won't complain, this way I get to see dawn everyday. It just means I have to see you as well." The split second of annoyance dissolved as she realized I was teasing.

"Yep. Every day, until the babies born then my mate is going to stay safely at home for a few weeks. Then we'll come dirty your house up again." I looked at Dawn.

"Do you have any ideas on a nursery yet?"

"No. I want to see what I'm having first. Then do a theme that way. What about you?"

"Well, I wanted gender neutral so it could work for all the babies. I had been thinking baby animals then Darius brought me the furniture that he and Alan had bought and said that Alan had planned a Noah's ark thing which made me think Noah's ark baby animals." I saw both woman were ver surprised, no doubt that Darius had gotten met he furniture and I was talking about Alan so openly. "You know I like knowing we're using his furniture. It's like he's there watching over the babies." I glanced at Darius and caught him smiling at his dinner plate. If I talked openly, positively about his first love would it help? Would it make it less of a sore spot. Would it help that place inside him that had gotten so hurt when Alan had died?

"He'd think that was sweet." Darius said quietly. That was all he said on it. I moved to talking about lisa and their little boy. After dinner was cleaned up and Jane and dawn were heading home I went up and changed into my pajamas. Getting my lap top I started looking for things to use for the nursery. When Darius came up he changed then stood at the end of the bed. He just stood there and watched me.

"You okay?" I finally asked.

"I think I need to apologize. I said something when you got here. Somethings about stepping into Alan's place here. You didn't choose this. I forced you into it. I have no right to blame you when I was the one who sought you out. I ran, I chose to force you to submit and put you here with me. I'm sorry for what I said. You deserved better. I hope you'll forgive me." Good lord what had happened that he was doing this?

"I forgive you. I understand that you thought you were ready to have someone here in his place and weren't." I patted the bed next to me. "You said you'd help me look at things." He chuckled and crawled up to sit next to him.