SOLOMON

CHAPTER 21

AYLA

I open my eyes to see that it was the early morning. 

I turn and see my baby boy is still asleep.

I rub my face and yawn. I didn't know what happened last night. I groan and roll over. I let loose that's what I did. And so did he. Now I am more confused than before.

I haven't seen Solomon having such an outburst in a long time. Seeing him do that...seeing him fight, I almost want him to win the battle between us. But I knew better than to hope. 

I sit in my tent and crawl out. My eyes widen however when I see Soul asleep in a hunched over figure outside my tent. 

I stand next to him and poke his arm, "Solomon?" He didn't wake. 

I poke his face and whisper, "Solomon!"

His eyes snap and open and he attempts to get up but he groans and rolls over while holding his back, "Shit! My back."

I nodded my head with no surprise, "Yup...sleep on the hard ground of the forest floor will do that to ya."

He groans as he gets up, "I'm bringing my mattress out here next time."

"What were you even doing here in the first place?" 

He rubs his back and says in his husky morning voice, "I heard something during the night. I got worried so I decided to sleep in front of your tent." 

I was taken back slightly, "You didn't have to do that."

He looks up at me and smirks, "Of course I do. It's my job to protect you."

I didn't know how to respond to him. I tucked my hair behind my ear and cough into my hand and turn around to make a fire. 

***

I sit on a rock as I watch Milo and a couple of the other kids playing in the river. A shadow appears beside me. I look up and see it's Zapora. She smiles down at me as she places herself on the rock as my company, "Hey."

I smiled back, "Hey."

She leans back and releases a tired sigh, "Growing a baby is one tiring job for this body."

I giggle and shake my head, "Right, because having your mate worry about you twenty-four seven as well as asking you what you want or what you need is SUCH a stressful thing."

Zay laughs, "It is though! I ask him to buy me chocolate and he brings me the wrong brand or the wrong flavor of the right brand every time...it's so  hard being me right now." She jokes.

I throw my head back and laugh. I turn to Zay and see her staring at me softly. 

I tilted my head and ask, "What? Do I have a bug on my face? Because if I do and you haven't told me...I will flick it on your face."

Zay smiles and shakes her head, "No...it's just really nice seeing you smile and laugh again."

I grin and look down before looking back at the kids, "Yeah well...there hasn't really been much reason for me to laugh. But you're right...it feels nice to smile and relax a little bit."

Zay nods her head with her mouth still pulled wide into a smile, "Good...I wanna see more of it. And I'm glad for my sake because just seeing your face is making me depressed."

I laugh bursts out of my mouth, "I forgot how much of a bitch you were."

Zay shrugs her shoulders, "I may have grown up...but I won't ever give up my inner bitch...I use it as back up when I need it. Every girl has a bitch inside her...whether small...or large...there is still a bitch  there."