Beta

Chapter 15

I woke to the sound of tiny mewls. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and realized two things. I'd changed forms at some point during my sleep, and my little babies were not in the bed.

They were the ones making the noise, protesting that they were being moved. Konrad was caught red-handed, looking at me like he thought he was being naughty.

"It's a heated bed, so don't go getting all freaked out on me."

He put the cub into the bed and moved it to the floor beside us.

"Where did you get that?"

"Well, that would be my mother who is here. She brought it just in case you didn't have one, which if you did, I wouldn't know where to find it, and no one seemed to know."

He shrugged like it didn't matter, which it didn't.

"Have you taken them out to meet your family?"

"Not yet. First off, it's only day one. Second, I know how pack life works, and third, I thought it would be more appropriate to meet you at the same time."

"Yeah,"

I gritted an uneasy smile as I sighed. This was super awkward. I'd rejected her son while trying to stop him from taking over my pack. Almost caused his pack to fall and made them drop several ranks because of the failed coup. Inadvertently forced him to prepare for any attempts on his leadership at the mate meetup. And still, I rejected him. Then somewhere in all of that, we'd managed to get pregnant because, apparently, I couldn't keep my sticky fingers off him. In all of that, I'd only met his brother. His other siblings might have been at Midland Peak but I wouldn't know. I still didn't know how many siblings he had.

"Don't stress about my mother, Megan. She will love you because you lov,"

He paused, briefly glancing at me before turning his attention down to the babies. Shifting over the mattress, I leaned one hand on the wooden edge, the other on his shoulder. As I leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth, I felt the anxiety rise. His body was tight, and I didn't know how long it would take to change how we were. We could spend hours pleasuring each other while having incredible sex but when it came to the little things like this, we were terrible.

"You want to hear it?" I teased.

"No."

"Liar."

Lifting the other hand, I slid it along the jaw on the other side of his face and turned him to look at me.

"I love you."

"I know that. You said it in that weird medical room at Midland."

"Hmm, true, but you hesitated which makes me think that you don't believe me. We suck at this relationship thing."

"Ain't that the truth."

Pulling him back, I made Konrad lay on the mattress with me. We were still on the wolf bed but it was okay. I didn't need anything more than this.

Wrapped up against Konrad, I closed my eyes and sighed happily. I was still sore and tired but incredibly happy.

"Would it have been like this if I'd let you take control?"

"I'd like to think so. I'm not the kind of guy that wants to crush everything that stands in my way. When my elders weren't breathing down my neck about what could happen if things turned bad, I had a moment to breathe. I could see a future with you that was complicated, but I hoped that it would have worked. You kept the barriers up, you remained strong and I couldn't break through. Everywhere I looked, I saw a mess that I couldn't fix. I wanted to tell you everything that I wanted but I knew that I'd hurt you to the point that it wouldn't have mattered anyway."

Shifting back, I looked up at Konrad. Curiosity was getting the better of me.

"What was your plan?"

"Two Alphas and no Beta. A joint rule of this land and passing Black Ridge to Ezra."

That was an interesting concept. I don't know if it was permissible, but it was intriguing enough to research.

"But as things began to change, I could see another path had become available. I could fix a lot of issues that had grown and get a second chance. All I had to do was convince you that I wasn't a womanizing monster."

He lifted onto one arm, looking down at me.

"Have I done that?"

"You have, but be warned, I am observant. One whiff of misbehavior and I will make you suffer."

Konrad grinned, lowering to kiss me.

"A night without you in my arms would be unbearable," he whispered. "A life without you beside me would be pure torture. The risk is too great, and it is one that I am not prepared to take. Besides, look at those little cuties. How could I go a lifetime without making more of them with you?"

Returning to me, Konrad began our embrace slowly. In the muted light of the room, as our little cubs slept, we kissed and whispered our plans for the future. We weren't going anywhere for a few days, so there was no rush to do anything else. It was a relaxing moment that I hoped would grow the newly forming bond Konrad and I had. When it became too much, we would snuggle under the covers and sleep.

We would remain at the pack house until the cubs were five days old. By that stage, they'd be strong enough to walk on their own. It didn't mean they could run around as they pleased, but there would be a fraction of freedom.

They'd get to meet everyone after three days. The time between birth and the third day was supposed to be about bonding with their parents while also feeding them to grow and increase their strength. Most of it would be spent sleeping but come feeding time, this mamma would have to let the wolf out and lay down for the little darlings.

As much as I'd been stuck in this place for far toolong, I wasn't ready to leave. I was happy to stay here for as long as it tookfor our little babies to grow strong.