Accompanied By The Night

Episode 07

“It could be stress,” she said.

“Stress?”

“Yeah. You say you’ve started feeling this way since Troy escaped, right? Everyone’s been on edge—and I’m including myself in that. If you’re so stressed that you’re experiencing physical symptoms, I think you should take a break.”

I frowned. “I don’t know…I can’t afford to take one with all this overdue paperwork.”

She quirked a brow. “You’re talking to your beta right now. It’s my job to keep you as healthy as possible.”

I smiled even as my stomach continued to churn. “That’s true, but how can I leave all of this behind?”

“Why don’t you leave the organizing to me and head to your mom’s? It’s been a while since you’ve seen her, hasn’t it?”

I tried not to wince at the reminder. I’d been so busy that I hadn’t visited Mom in days. Going to see her would be nice. It had been a while since we had talked, and she might have tea or some other remedy to take care of my nausea. If nothing else, a bit of fresh air would probably help.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll leave the organizing to you.”

“Great.” She smiled, then added telepathically, “And I’ll reach out if I need anything, okay?”

I laughed. Being able to talk to each other at any time would take some getting used to, but I was glad for it. Having Tavi in my mind wasn’t unpleasant at all. In fact, it was as comforting as having my wolf.

“Sounds good. We’ll catch up later.”

The walk to my mother’s cabin took about fifteen minutes. The morning air was clear and fresh, and the sky a bright azure. As I walked through the compound, nobody jeered at me or sent me strange looks as they had after I beat Troy in the alpha ceremony. It seemed to finally sink in that I was their alpha. You’d think nearly killing Troy right in front of them would have been enough. At least they’re giving me some space now.

One familiar face stood out to me from a group of male wolves near one of the rebuilding sites. He looked around my age, with short, wavy auburn hair. He was very muscular, maybe even bigger than Night or Dom, and had sky-blue eyes tinged with silver when the light hit them. He didn’t look like the type who would sell wares at the market; with that kind of physique, he was probably a fighter.

His name came to me when he met my gaze. Lance. I’d seen him around the compound when I was a teenager. I’d always kept my distance from him because he was close to Troy. He smiled at me, and I looked away. He had never participated in the bullying Troy and his goons had put me through, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t just as mean as them.

I jogged up the steps to Mom’s front door and knocked. “It’s me,” I called.

“You know you don’t have to knock, baby,” she called back. “Come in!”

I laughed and pushed open the door. The moment I did, I smelled mint, chamomile, and rosemary. Mom was already making tea.

“That smells great,” I said. “Could I have some?”

“Of course, baby.” Her eyes twinkled as she gestured for me to sit. “Sit, sit. I’ll make you a cup.”

I sat at the table, and she filled two mugs with hot water and tea leaves before handing one to me. “I had a feeling you would come and see me today,” she said as she sat across from me.

“I’m sorry I haven’t come by to see you. Things have been—”

“Hectic, I know.” She nodded. “Bryn, anyone with eyes can see how hard you’re working. You don’t have to apologize to me for taking care of business.”

“I know, but still…I’ve missed you.”

She patted my hand, her fingers warm from handling the hot cups. “I’ve missed you, too, love. So, let’s catch up a little before you get back to work.”

I sipped the tea and found it warm, comforting, and refreshing. I loved Violet’s teas, but there was something special about my mom’s. Probably just bias on my part, but I felt thoroughly relaxed as I leaned back in the chair.

The more I drank, the better my stomach started to feel. I wasn’t sure if the tea, the walk, or just my mother’s presence helped. Maybe Tavi was right, and my nausea was stress-induced. If so, a few minutes of relaxing with my mother was exactly what I needed to refresh.

“I wanted to ask if you might have some tinctures or herbs that would help with stress,” I said. “This tea is already working wonders.”

“I’m glad it’s helping, but I’m sorry you’ve been uncomfortable, honey. What’s been going on?”

“I feel okay usually, but in the mornings, I get headaches and nausea that last until lunchtime. I thought it might be something I ate, but it’s been days now, and it’s making it harder to get work done.”

“Describe the headaches for me?”

“Okay,” I lifted a hand and touched my forehead. “The pain kind of wraps around here, if that makes sense? Like a rope that’s tightening around my forehead.”

She nodded. “Hmm. And the nausea? Is it more of a dizziness?”

“Well, I do feel dizzy, but I also get sick. After I get out of bed, I have to rush to the bathroom.”

Mom pursed her lips in thought for a few seconds, running her thumb back and forth over the handle of her mug, then she pushed her chair back and got to her feet.

“I’ll be right back,” she said, heading toward the bathroom. When she came back, she had a small box in her hand. “I like to keep one of these in my medical kit just in case someone comes to me with symptoms like yours.”

“Oh?” I took the box, and immediately, my eyes went to the words PREGNANCY TEST typed in purple lettering across the box. The sight of it confused me, and if I was being honest, it also scared me a little.

“Mom, why did you bring this to me?” I demanded, my face flaming. “I’m not pregnant, just stressed out. Probably. And…and anyway, Night and I have only been having s*x for a few weeks or so.” It was hard to believe that Night and I had met only a few months ago. It felt like an era had passed between the day he’d kidnapped me and now.

“I’ve never been pregnant myself,” she said, easing into her chair again. “But I know the signs. Go on and take it. What’s the harm in being sure?”

She made a good point, but the walk to the bathroom seemed to go on forever. My hands trembled as I held the box up to read the instructions. I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience as I went through the motions of taking the test—I had no idea how to feel about this. Never once had I thought about having a baby. I’d spent my life believing I was human. I never thought I’d find a mate or a lover, let alone have children.

With Night, everything changed, and now it seemed there was a chance I could be pregnant.

I sat on the toilet and waited for the test. The box told me I would only have to wait a few minutes, but each second felt like an hour. If I was pregnant, what would that mean? The timing wasn’t exactly ideal. Troy was out there planning something with who knew how many ferals at his command, and my position as alpha would only last for another couple of weeks, at which point the alpha ceremony would determine the new leader.