Protect |✔️

Epilogue • 1

One Month Later

Axel awoke first, his bear feeling smug and happy for some unknown reason, his mate cuddled up into his arms, he pulls her closer while he lowers his head to her neck and inhales her intoxicating scent, that's when his whole body seems to freeze. His body turning to stone as he lays there mute and shocked, his nose just barely touching her soft skin as her scent drifts up. Her scent has changed again, it changed the night when he had marked her, adding his scent into hers but now it is even more stronger, more prominent, she smelled as if she herself, was a bear. That could only mean one thing;

She's pregnant.

His eyes widen as his hand unconsciously slides down her body to her stomach where his hand splays across her smooth skin, and he holds his breath his ears straining, that's when he faintly hears it. A heart beat.

She was carrying his cub, they were having a baby together! Axel jumps up in excitement causing Ayliah to almost roll off the bed and he runs around the bed grabbing her as he mutters and curses at himself for being so careless and reckless. He had to be extra careful now, he would have to baby proof the house, make sure there was nothing that Ayliah could hurt herself on.

Oh god Ayliah couldn't go out, at least not without him, she could get hurt and he wasn't letting that shit happen not on his watch.

"What the hell Axel?! I was comfortable and sleeping, what the hell made you jump out of the bed as if your ass was on fire," his mates voice grumpy, husky with sleep, he couldn't help but chuckle and smile lovingly at her, his smile growing wider by the second, which seemed to creep her out even more.

He was never this happy in the morning, especially when he has just waken up, and the look in his eyes was starting to freak her out.

"Okay now you're freaking me out," she says as she starts to sit up and Axel rushes to help her and she smacks his hands off her while looking at him confused with a "what the fuck," look she always seems to give him.

"Be careful!," he says chiding her and her eyes widen even more.

"Wha– what the hell is wrong with you Axel? I was just sitting up not jumping off the damn roof," she mutters as she rolls her eyes.

"Okay, okay," he stars pacing as Ayliah looks at him like he's crazy.

How do you tell your mate she's pregnant?! That's something humans go to a doctor for, he thought.

Shit he was just going to blurt it out, no, maybe he should talk to her gently, but he was so excited. He looks over at her and sees she looking at him, a bit confused and a bit angry for waking her up, okay, just blurt.

"You're pregnant," he spits it out fast but the excitement was crystal clear in his voice.

"Shouldn't I be the one telling you I'm pregnant," her one brow raises with a grin on her face, amusement dancing in her eyes, she thinks he is joking.

Axel walks back over to her and sits on the bed, placing his one on her still flat stomach the other on her thigh he starts to rub up and down, he takes a deep breath before he stares into her beautiful eyes, her beauty still taking his breath away.

"You're pregnant," his voice dead serious, his eyes pleading for her to believe him.

"Your scent changed again, you smell as if you are an actual bear shifter, Ayliah. And... and I hear can the heart beat in your stomach," his eyes drift down to the spot where his cub resides, happiness bursting from him. He was having a baby with his mate, with the woman he's madly in love with. It was everything he wanted.

"You're carrying our baby," his voice soft in awe, Ayliah was starting to actually believe him.

"I'm–," she stops, her mind was running like crazy, she couldn't believe it. She knew she wanted to have children some day with Axel, she just didn't think it would be so soon. She was having a baby, a baby.

Her eyes lit up as a big smile grows on her face and she jumps on to Axels lap and grabs his face.

"I'm pregnant?," her eyes shining and glistening as tears start to form.

"You're pregnant," he says softly with wonderment, his hands grab her face and he kisses her.

"I'm pregnant. We're going to have a baby? We're going to have a baby!," her voice raising with excitement that was matching his own, a huge smile on both of their faces as it sinks in that they are having a baby together.

"Is it different when having a shifter baby?," she asks him, wondering if the time frame is the same or how it all works.

"No, you'll only be pregnant for 5-6 months, depending on his development," Axel states, his excitement growing by the second.

"Him?," she asks her brow raised.

"You mean her, right?"

"No him. I know it's a boy," his chest puffs out and she laughs at him.

"Come on! We have to go tell everyone! I'm glad my family is still here, well can tell them all at once, call your family to meet us at the diner for breakfast," Ayliah jumps up to go to get ready and Axel grabs her and pull her back.

"You need to be careful! You could get hurt," he says.

"Oh no, no. You are not being like this Axel, I can do everything just as I have been, I don't need a helicopter mate thank you," she tells him firmly and he smiles cheekily, thinking it cute she thinks she is the boss.

"Not happening baby, you have our cub in you, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you or our cub Ayliah," his hand rubs her cheek, trying to sooth and butter her up, which back fires when she pulls away and he frowns.

"Axel, you need to calm down, nothing is going to happen. Who knows how far along I am, and I have been fine before we knew," her arms crossed as she stares at him, daring him to try and coddle her.

"A month, your a month along. And now that you said that I am freaking out, thanks. How many times have you tripped or fell? Huh?," Axel starts pacing as he thinks back of the last month.

"Whatever Axel, that was because of the damn rug in the living room! And I never hurt myself," she was now getting frustrated.

"And I'll be tossing that out," he says being stubborn, and her hands fly in the air with an exasperated sigh.

Ayliah walks up to Axel and places her hands on his chest, his firm muscles bunching beneath her hand and she smiles, happy she still affects him. Her hands move up his neck to his face where she pulls his head down to hers and she makes eye contact with his.

"I love you Axel, but you can't go all crazy, we need to enjoy this. Not freak out about the 'what ifs', I can't have you stopping me doing everything and having no fun just because "I could get hurt". That's not how it works, promise me you'll calm down and try not to go all crazy, please," her eyes begging and pleading him, hoping this will work and he will back off a bit. She wouldn't be able to handle Axel stopping her from doing anything, now she just hopes this pleading will work, or she'll have to smack some sense into the man.

Axel lets out a deep groan, "fine, I'll try."

Ayliah smiles big and pulls his face to hers and she kisses him sweetly and not long after it starts getting heated when he pulls back.

"We can't do that," he says painfully, no sex for months was going to kill him.

"Are you serious Axel?!," Ayliah freaks out, throwing her hands in the air as she walks away from him groaning and cursing, no matter what she was going to be having sex, no doubt about it.

Damn man is a pain in the ass, she thought.