Austin planted a chaste kiss on my lips, and I caught his scent—musky and intoxicating. As much as I wanted to curl up in his arms and go back inside, I couldn’t let him or the pack down by chickening out.
The wolves paced restlessly, some playfully leaping on their hind legs to wrestle with others. Axel looked more nervous with me approaching them than he did with Naya. Most Shifter wolves wouldn’t attack women or children in human form, but that wasn’t necessarily a golden rule. Wolves could be skittish and aggressive by nature.
I slowly waddled forward, a gust of wind whipping my straight hair in front of my face. I reached up and pulled it back, holding it that way with one hand until the wind died down. An orange butterfly danced in the sunlight, making me forget I was approaching a pack of wolves I didn’t know.
Their eyes found me, and the activity died down as the sound that hung in their throats was low and barely audible.
Better not be growling at me, I thought to myself, staring at one particular wolf who was showing the most teeth.
Austin stayed within arm’s reach, his eyes locked on the pack, his muscles tight and hard as granite. I gave him a nervous glance before taking the final steps forward, my hands curved protectively around my belly.
One of the wooden wind chimes Austin had made clacked in the tree ahead, startling a few of the wolves, who turned anxiously to look. A white wolf drew nearer, stretching his neck and pulling in my scent. His long tongue lapped out a few times until he tasted my hand. I showed no fear since animals could smell it, and the only way to do that was to hum a song in my head. The only tune that immediately came to mind was one from a show that Denver had been watching the previous night, insisting it was a classic.
Great. I was going to die singing the theme song to Fraggle Rock.
Axel continued to herd his pack, staying in front and watching each one for signs of aggression. The wolves approached me, some taking a sniff and racing off, while others took their time and circled around me.
One of the wolves sang a hollow note and others joined in.
Soon the entire pack was howling.
Axel faced Austin, his fuzzy brows drawn down in a slant. “Are you two having an alpha?”
Chapter 22
Austin had an I-told-you-so look on his face after the meet and greet with Axel’s pack. All men hope their firstborn is an alpha, especially since that’s when the odds are greater. They diminish with each child born, so it’s rare to have an alpha who isn’t firstborn. Then again, Austin was an exception to that rule. I think he felt this might be his only chance since, given my history with miscarriages, he wasn’t up for playing baby roulette. The wolves in our own pack might have gotten used to the pregnancy, but the odd reaction of Axel’s pack confirmed something was up.
At least they couldn’t predict gender; I wanted that to be a surprise.
Late in the afternoon, a dense fog rolled in, swallowing up the outside world and secluding us in the house. After we’d served our guests hamburgers, Axel gathered his men and headed off to check in at the motel down the road.
“Can you believe she restored this herself?” I asked William, admiring the wooden baby rocker Ivy had given me earlier that day on her visit.
William moved away from the window in the study and stood behind the chair in front of me, acknowledging the rocker at my feet. “Indeed. But I’m curious as to why you’re using this room as storage? All the gifts from your shower are still here where you left them. I think it’s time you move them to your bedroom, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Not yet.”
I tapped my foot repeatedly on the curved wood, rocking the crib. “She even had someone carve all those little images of horses and flowers.”
William bit his lip and dropped the subject. I was settling into the idea that this was going to happen, but I had become uncharacteristically superstitious. The pregnancy was moving along just fine, so maybe moving all the furniture upstairs would be pushing my luck.
“Are you and Trev ever going to move into the same room? I know you have a lot more privacy on the lower floor, but that’s a tiny room you live in.”
He smiled with his eyes, running a hand through his hair before taking a seat in front of me. “It suits me fine. Our situation will work out eventually. Seems foolhardy to rush things before testing the waters of our relationship.”
“If you’ve been gay all along…”
He laughed and then crossed his legs. “I can assure you I’ve been gay all along.”
“Yes, but you weren’t telling anyone.”
“No one asked.”
I tapped my fingers on the edge of the chair.
“Go on,” he said.