Alpha Queen [1]

xliv

Ares was always an early riser so it hadn't surprised me that he was ready to leave at six am sharp. I, on the other hand, had been in a deep slumber and had to be shaken awake for a couple of minutes.

"Huh? What?" I mumbled into my pillow as I was slow to come out of my dream.

"Good morning, my love," he murmured as he stroked my hair, "It's time."

Right. Yesterday was today and today was when he would leave to find Coral. It pained me to have him leave while I was expecting—my hormones and separation anxiety had been sky rocketing recently—but we needed to know what she saw in her prophecy.

The plan had originally been for him to go alone to remain inconspicuous but he changed his mind at the last minute. I agreed with it as I felt better knowing he would have someone else looking out for him.

Roman and Belladonna were waiting by the front door. Roman was one of our best warriors, besides Ares of course, and Belladonna had proven to be an exceptional tracker despite being so young. Both volunteered to come with us.

"We will be outside packing the car, Alpha. Let us know when you are ready." Belladonna said. The two of them grabbed their bags and headed to the car. They had packed three duffel bags full of food, water and clothes for two weeks but he didn't think they would be gone for that long. He had another point too—they could always hunt for resources.

Ares turned to me and gave me his full attention.

"I promise I will come back to you as soon as I can." He squeezed my hand. "I will receive the answers that we're looking for."

"Just be safe and come back." I was growing increasingly more nervous about separating. Definitely the hormones.

He put his ear to my stomach and kissed my belly button, "I love you. Don't cause too many problems for your mother."

"They have both been surprisingly calm." Soren said babies normally start kicking during the second trimester but I hadn't felt any movement yet.

Ares pressed his lips to mine and let me go too soon. We looked at each other one last time before he closed the door and finally left.

I let out a shaky breath.

I knew I was the one who wanted this but I didn't like watching him go. It felt like my soul was leaving my body.

Now all I could do was make myself busy. Luckily, there was always something to do in the pack. I could take over Ares's duties or tend to my own or do whatever my wolves needed me to do. . . yet I feared I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about my mate.

I was only seven steps away when I heard a noise coming from where I just was.

The door opened and I turned around to see Ares coming back inside. I was about to ask if they'd forgotten something but he grabbed my cheeks and pressed his lips to mine before I could.

"I just had to do that one last time." He said as both of our eyelids fluttered open. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I smiled. "I'll see you soon."

He kissed me again and gave me one last hug before we parted ways.

.•*•.

Three hours after Ares left, Tasha and Milla headed out as well. They promised to visit again when they could and even though they were gone, I was determined to make the most out of this peaceful time.

I wasn't too lonely. I'd received dozens of letters and gifts from other packs congratulating me about the big news. The Alpha and Luna of the Theron pack wanted our unborn children to play together one day, as Luna Summer was going to give birth very soon. On a similar note, the Alpha and Luna of the Whitedawn pack wanted to visit when I was fully recovered so they could bless the babies. The Alpha and Luna of the Daya pack wanted to know if we had any ideas about names.