Filed to story: The Alpha’s Pen Pal Book
Wes shoves him. “Fuck off.”
“Seriously, why are you here?” I ask as Nolan also enters the kitchen.
“Housewarming breakfast,” Nolan says. “It was Wesley’s idea. I was told to be here or face the consequences.”
“I didn’t say that!”
“Be warned,”
I mindlink Taryn, rolling my eyes.
“My dickhead friends have infiltrated our home under the pretense of a ‘housewarming breakfast.’ Run while you still have time.”
“Too late,” she says from behind me.
I glance over my shoulder at her. Her braids and curls spill down her back, and she wears one of my long-sleeved shirts and a pair of leggings, the sleeves pulled down over her hands to keep them warm. The collar sits lopsided on her neck, showing off her mark, and I smile.
Mine.
Overcome with pride and love for the female who broke through all my defenses and the tiny pup growing inside her who brought us together completely, I pull her into my arms and plant a kiss on her lips. My friends cheer and howl, and Taryn laughs against my mouth. My wolf prances in my mind at my outward display of possessiveness and the approval of his alpha, luna, and friends.
I pull away from her, and she stares up at me with the same love and trust I feel towards her, and I know I can’t hold it back anymore. I’m too excited, too proud to keep it to myself. Everyone needs to know how lucky I am, how complete we are.
“Can I tell them?”
I ask her through mindlink, my hand tracing over her stomach.
She nods, and I beam, then turn and pull her in front of me, hugging her upper body and hooking my chin over her shoulder.
“Everyone,” I say, my eyes scanning over my friends. “I have—we have—an announcement.”
Seb turns from the coffee machine, mug in hand, steam rising into his face as he leans against the counter. Nolan pauses in the middle of spreading cream cheese on his bagel, looking at us, and Haven and Wes hold each other’s hands, exchanging a glance with a smile.
I take a deep breath, hugging my girl as she hugs me back, and then I grin at them all. “We’re having a pup!” I exclaim, proud as a peacock, my wolf preening in my mind.
I look between them all, waiting for their reactions, met with silence and stares. My sinks, my smile and excitement fading. Fear sets in—fear of their judgment of Taryn, of them shunning her for something out of her control, of them judging me for accepting her while she’s pregnant with another male’s pup.
Wes clears his throat and glances at Haven again before looking at me, rubbing the back of his neck. “We kind of already knew.”
“Pay up, Nolan,” Sebastian says, holding his free hand out towards our gamma.
Nolan sighs and sets his plate down, reaching into his pocket for his wallet.
“Excuse me?” I ask, my eyes narrowing as I glare at all of them.
“Sebastian and I made a bet,” Nolan explains.
“Yeah, I picked up on that.”
“After we all found out Taryn was your mate—which, I’m pissed at you for not telling any of us in the first place, by the way—he said ‘Bet you Reid will end up being the first of us to have a pup,'” Nolan continues, searching in his wallet and frowning.
“Learn from my mistakes and don’t make bets with Seb. Nothing good ever comes from…” I trail off as Taryn’s head tilts back to look at me, her smile switching to a frown. I clear my throat and backtrack. “I mean… only ONE good thing has ever come from making a bet with Seb.” Taryn smiles again and pats my arm, her lips pursing together as she holds in a laugh. “Seriously, though, we all should know better than to take Sebastian up on any of his crazy bets.” Wesley nods his agreement. “And don’t even get me started on you, Mr. We Already Knew!” I add, pointing at him.
“To be fair, I told him and Haven when I joined the pack. I felt it was only right to tell Wesley he was accepting another alpha’s heir into his pack,” Taryn says.
I switch my focus to her. “That’s why you joined when you did.” She nods and I squeeze her tighter, pressing my nose against her mark for a second before I look back at my friends, a faux glare directed at all of them. “All right, here is what’s going to happen. Taryn and I are going to leave the room and then come back, and I’m going to tell you all again, so you can all pretend like you’re learning brand new information. We’ll even wait a few minutes before we return so you can all rehearse your authentic reactions for us, okay?”
They laugh, and my fears from before fade as quickly as they formed, chased away by my friends’ clear, natural acceptance of my claim on Taryn and Taryn’s pup.
Nolan sighs and shoves his wallet back in his pocket. “Seb, I don’t have a twenty. You’re going to have to wait until I can get to town and get cash.”
“Why did you make the bet if you didn’t even have the cash?” Seb groans.
“I didn’t think I’d have to pay up so soon! How was I supposed to know Reid would have a pup right now?!”
They continue bickering as I unwrap myself from Taryn and dish up food for her while she grabs a glass and pours herself some orange juice.
“Congratulations,” Wesley says, patting me on the back.
“Thanks,” I reply, smiling. “We’re having a girl. Taryn wants to keep your old studio as is so you can teach her when she’s old enough,” I add, peeking around him to look at Haven as she releases Taryn from a hug.
“Oh, I would love that!” Haven says, clapping her hands.
“Speaking of ballet,” Taryn says, taking her plate from me as I kiss her on the cheek. “What was the music you used at your wedding ceremony? It was beautiful.”
“Tchaikovsky,” I say, grabbing a plate for myself.
“Bless you,” Taryn says, not batting an eye as she takes a bite of bacon.
Sebastian chokes on his coffee, tears coming to his eyes as he coughs and pats his chest. Nolan’s lips pinch together and Wesley rubs his face, covering his twitching mouth with his hand. And Haven just laughs, her gaze flicking between Taryn and me.
“Did I say something wrong?” Taryn asks, freezing with her bacon between her mouth and her plate, her eyes looking at each of my friends.
