Wasn’t creating pups together the whole point?
She didn’t want to let herself believe it. And when she skipped her period last month, she had just about convinced herself it had everything to do with the stress surrounding the Nightwalker attacks and how Cilla was still out there somewhere. Because she couldn’t be pregnant at last—
Could she?
She really, really hoped so.
“I guess I could make an appointment with my doctor just to make sure, but he’s humans only.” As if she just realized what she said, Evangeline cringed. “Sorry, he’s my mom’s recommendation.”
“It’s fine. I sent my boys to a vet the first couple of years of their life because there weren’t so many doctors who specialize in Paras outside of our community. And after the way my T lost his ever-loving mind every time I was with a pup, none of them wanted to square off against the Alpha to tend to his mate.”
Oh, jeez. Evangeline didn’t even think of that. If Maddox was so single-mindedly focused on doing whatever he had to to keep her safe now, how far would he go when he found out that she was pregnant?
Would he be happy? Or, with as distant and secretive as he’d been lately, would he take it poorly?
Evangeline gulped.
Her mother-in-law caught it. Pursing her lips, reading something in Evangeline’s expression that she couldn’t quite hide, Sarah asked softly, “You didn’t know. Does Maddox?”
“What? No. I… I had no clue until you sensed it and told me. I just thought it was the holiday blues or something, plus one too many Christmas cookies. But I’m… I’m…” Evangeline couldn’t even say the word. She just lifted her hands, nestling around the small curve at the bottom of her flat belly.
Huh. So it wasn’t the cookies after all.
“So he’s not sure. But… a male wolf usually senses these things. So he doesn’t know, but, then again, maybe he does. It would certainly explain some things.”
That didn’t make a lick of sense to Evangeline. “What do you mean? Explain what?”
Sarah leaned in, then lowered her voice. “Since I know your secret now, I’ll share one of mine.”
“No.” Evangeline’s stomach flip-flopped. Secrets… just the word made her feel queasy. “Please. No more secrets.”
“Trust me, neither one of these will be a secret for long. Once my boy gets his head out of his ass and uses his nose for once, he’ll figure out what’s different about you. What’s making him even more overprotective than usual. And then, after my mate finishes up with him, he’ll stop all this nonsense about leaving his position in the pack.”
“Wait—what?”
4
Sarah nodded.
“Oh, yes,” she said. “Didn’t he tell you? It’s why my T and I took the run out here. Mad told my mate that he’s planning on stepping aside, giving up his shot at being the next Alpha, so that he won’t have to leave you by yourself for too long. If his wolf can sense you’re carrying a pup, it would explain Mad’s turnabout.”
Evangeline felt her mouth drop open in surprise. For as long as she knew him, Maddox had always known that he wanted three things: a loving mate, a big family, and the control of the pack he’d been born to rule. When he thought Evangeline was dead, Maddox sacrificed his position in the pack while he was in the Cage, but as soon as they were bonded mates, she accepted that he’d be Alpha one day.
Why the hell would he give that up again? And, most importantly, why hadn’t he told her?
Another secret?
She was so freaking over all of the stupid secrets.
Evangeline closed her mouth, clicking her teeth together with the force of his motion. After shaking it off, she said, “I would never want him to do that.”
“I didn’t say that you did.” Sarah cocked her head again in that decidedly canine motion. Evangeline wasn’t sure if her mother-in-law even realized that she was doing it. “Especially now, the two of you will need Pack more than ever.”
“I just… that doesn’t make any sense to me. Maddox doesn’t even seem to want to be around me. No matter what I do, it’s like he always finds an excuse to get away. I don’t even know if he’s gonna be happy about this news, and now you’re telling me he’s trying to give up his alpha status?”
“For you.”
“For me? I’m sorry, and I know you’re his mom, but… he…” Evangeline huffed, the words spilling free without her really meaning for them to. “He doesn’t even seem to want me anymore.”