For The Love of An Alpha

Return Blessing

Henri loaded up the car with the few bags they had left. The cabin was stripped and the bedding loaded into the trunk of the SUV. Jhera walked slowly to the car, her eyes scanning the area. They had stayed an extra two days from when her heat left, giving them both time to recover. Jhera had said she was still sore and her muscles ached, but she was ready to be home.

"We'll be back in the spring." The trunk closed with a slam, and he turned to look at Jhera. Her eyes taking in the environment.

"I bet it's beautiful in the spring." She smiled, as he walked over and put his hands about her waist.

"Yes, dear one, it is gorgeous in the spring." He kissed her softly. "Come, let's get you home my queen."

Jhera chuckled and rolled her eyes at his use of titles and nick names for her. She took one more look back at the cabin, before she climbed into the passenger seat of the car. Henri closed her door and walked around to the driver's side. He fired it up and began to drive, Jhera's eyes watching the cabin grow smaller in the side mirror.

"Henri?" Jhera broke the silence. There were still a few hours from the pack house and while she enjoyed the silence, her brain was full of questions.

"Hmm?" He glanced to Jhera, taking her left hand in his right as his eyes returned to the road.

"Talk to me about what just happened." She didn't know how to explain it, the blazing inferno that rose up in stomach and ran throughout her veins. How she hungered and ached for him to the point that it hurt and she would wake up crying for him.

"What?" He chuckled awkwardly.

"What happened? Why did my body turn against me?"

"My love," He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently. "You're body didn't turn on you. It apparently responded to our mating ceremony quicker then most." He smiled to her, "Females only go into heat once they are mated." He released her hand as she moved to touch the mark on her neck. "That mark," His eyes glancing to her, then back to the road, "tells your body what's going on. It told your body it was time. Usually it takes months." He looked to his phone in the center console and back to the road, "Some mates have waited years."

"Really?" Jhera reached over and took his hand once more. "Why is it so important?"

Henri's chest rumbled with a nervous laughter, "Ya..." He smiled to her once and kissed her hand once more. "It's for reproduction."

"You mean I could be pregnant now?" She shook her head, "I mean, I know we talked about it once before, but it didn't make sense then." She shifted to angle toward him slightly. "You're saying I'm pregnant? Because my body made the choice and I couldn't fight it?"

"No," Henri's brow scrunched, "I don't think it works like that exactly." He glanced to her once more, "I believe it was explained to my sister that it has a lot to do with her soul and what she wants in that moment." He dared a longer glance to Jhera, "Do you want to be pregnant?"

The air stood still in that moment. Jhera hadn't put much thought into it. She panicked a week ago when she thought she might be and had no say, even now she almost panicked again. As the moment dragged on her thoughts went to the idea of carrying his child. The thought of watching him hold their baby and the idea of helping him raise it. Then she thought about how it would be if they didn't. She felt an emptiness in her heart, as she imagined no child, no laughter from the shenanigans they would get into.

She recalled the mom's she would see walking with their children through the library, how a part of her wanted that.

"I think I do." She spoke softly, as if saying the words would ruin them.