Chapter 76
928 Words
I didn’t sleep much that night. Devon did, at least his breathing was steady, deep, the kind that only came when he was at ease. But even then, his hand never left my stomach, as if he knew where to anchor himself in the dark.
The ember pulsed inside me again, and I stared at the ceiling until the edges of dawn turned it pale gray. My chest was heavy with the words I wanted to say, the ones pressing harder each time I swallowed them back. Joey’s hug still lingered on my skin like a promise.
By the time Devon stirred awake, my body was tense from holding so much inside. His arm tightened around me, dragging me back into his chest before I could slip away.
“Where do you think you’re going?” His voice was hoarse from sleep, but already teasing.
“Nowhere,” I whispered. “Just needed air.”
“Liar,” he murmured, nuzzling the curve of my neck. “You’ve been wound too tight lately. Tell me.”
Every word was soft, but beneath them was steel an Alpha’s command hidden under his mate’s patience.
I turned in his arms so I could see him. His hair was a mess, his eyes still heavy-lidded, but his gaze was sharp, cutting straight through me. For a moment I wanted to dodge it again, to smile, to pretend. But he wasn’t letting me. Not anymore.
“Devon…” My throat closed around the rest.
He brushed his thumb along my jaw, tilting my face up until there was no escape. “Addy. Whatever it is, don’t carry it alone. You’re not built to break by yourself anymore. You’re mine. Share it with me.”
Those words, it was as though he’d cracked the dam I’d been patching all week. My eyes burned, but I refused to cry. Not yet.
“I don’t know for certain,” I whispered. “That’s why I didn’t tell you.”
His brows drew together, confusion sharp. “Not certain about what?”
The ember flared, and I covered his hand with mine where it still rested against my stomach. He followed the gesture slowly, realization dawning in his eyes like a storm breaking. His whole body went still.
“Addy…” His voice was hoarse, lower than I’d ever heard it. “Are you saying?”
“I might be,” I said quickly, before he could speak the word aloud and make it crash down on us. “I don’t know yet. I didn’t want to get your hopes up until I was sure.”
For a moment, there was silence. The longest, most fragile silence of my life. My pulse thundered in my ears. Then Devon’s expression softened, melted, transformed into something I had no defense against.
“You thought you had to protect me from hope?” he asked quietly.
I nodded, ashamed. “If it’s not true… if I lose it before I even get to tell you… I couldn’t stand seeing you carry that pain.”
Devon cupped my face with both hands, pulling me close until his forehead pressed against mine. His breath was ragged, uneven. “You infuriating, stubborn woman. You think I wouldn’t want to carry it with you? Hope, fear, joy, loss it doesn’t matter. It’s ours. Together.”
The words shattered me. My chest broke open and tears slipped hot down my cheeks before I could stop them. Devon kissed them away, slow and reverent, as though each one was sacred.
“Say it again,” he whispered. “Say it’s possible.”
“It’s possible,” I breathed. “I think I’m pregnant.”
The sound he made then wasn’t words it was a growl, a prayer, a plea. He crushed me against him, arms iron around my body, holding me like I was the only thing tethering him to the world. His mouth found mine, rough and desperate, but there was no demand in it, only worship.
I clung back just as fiercely, letting him feel the truth in my trembling, in the way my heart thundered against his. His fire met mine, sparks dancing between us, and I realized that I had never once doubted his reaction. Only my own fear.
When he finally pulled back, his eyes blazed with something both terrifying and beautiful. “You’re everything to me, Addy. If you’re carrying our child, I’ll burn the world before I let anyone touch either of you.”
His vow scorched through me, not as threat but as promise. My own fire pulsed under my skin, answering his.
I pressed my forehead against his chest, listening to the steady, furious beat of his heart. “I was scared,” I admitted. “But not anymore. Not if you’re with me.”
“Always,” he swore.
He tilted my chin, kissed me again, slower this time, sealing the promise with warmth instead of desperation. His hand still lingered at my stomach, protective, reverent, as if he already believed it was true.
The weight of secrecy lifted, leaving me lighter, steadier. The ember inside me still burned, but now it felt like something we both carried. Not mine alone anymore.
And for the first time since the suspicion had taken root, I let myself imagine it Devon holding a child with eyes like fire and a spirit wild as the wind. Our child.
I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent, letting the vision settle. Whatever came next, I wasn’t afraid anymore.
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