Chapter 77
Kelly
I sat on the edge of our bed, my leg bouncing nervously as I waited for Throin to get out of the shower. We were just two days away from our ceremony, two days away from him becoming my mate and King of the Western territories, and I still had not told him about the pup. I had procrastinated for the better part of the week, but once the first group of out-of-town guests started arriving, I knew I had to speak with him.
I felt like throwing up. I don’t know if it was more from nerves or my pregnancy at the moment. But my stomach wouldn’t stop turning and my mouth was dry, like right before you start heaving. The water shut off and I heard Thorin getting out. I listened as he dried off. Every second felt like forever. Eventually, the bathroom door swung open, the steam filling the room as he emerged.
“Solnyshko, I didn’t know you were home already.” Thorin said, giving me a quick k**s on the lips before going over to his dresser and grabbing some clothes.
“T-Thorin? Can we talk?” I asked nervously, standing up from our bed and following after him.
“Da.” He said, dropping his towel and slipping on a pair of boxers. “Everything okay?” He frowned when he saw my face.
“I’m pregnant.” I blurted out. “It wasn’t on purpose, I swear. Quite the opposite actually.” I said before chewing on the inside of my l*p again.
“But…but you were on the birth control?” Thorin asked, fear crossing his face for the first time ever.
“I did, I had an IUD, I couldn’t take it out myself if I wanted to.” I said, my voice quivering. “Earlier this week I went to go have it swapped out. They said it was gone…we think it is because of the Elixir, we think it dissolved it and made it possible for me to get pregnant.”
He turned and gripped the dresser, making me even more uneasy.
“Thorin, please say something.” I begged. “I’m so sorry this happened.” I began to cry.
“I…I need time to think…” He said quietly, quickly grabbing some clothes and heading towards the door, dressing on his way out.
“Where are you going?” I asked as I followed after him.
“I-I do not know,” he shook his head, grabbing the keys to his motorcycle and hopping on the elevator without so much as sparing me a glance.
As soon as the elevator doors shut, I sank to the ground, sobbing my eyes out. This shouldn’t have happened, but even so, it should have been a happy moment, and right now, it was anything but. I had no idea what was going through Thorin’s head right now, but I can’t imagine that it was anything good. Would he even want to be my mate still? Probably not. What was I going to do? Everyone was already arriving. Did I just tell them to turn around and go home?
“Give him some time, this was big news for him.” Keres said. She didn’t sound much happier than me, but was at least trying to be hopeful about it all.
Things didn’t get much better after that. I basically locked myself in our room for the next two days, refusing to see or speak to anyone until I absolutely had to. Kelsey and Kylie eventually managed to break in and pry some of the details out of me. They were so supportive.
“We should get you ready soon. Your guests will need to be told the ceremony is off. Perhaps telling them you are expecting will ease the blow.” Kelsey said.
“We could still have the party, celebrate the pup anyway.” Kylie suggested. “Don’t want all that food to go to waste, and your guests might not be so upset over the wasted trip either.”
“Fine.” I nodded.
“Great! We are gonna make you look so hot, he is gonna wish he had never left you.” Kelsey said.
“We don’t know that he left her!” Kylie snapped, swatting Kelsey’s shoulder.
“Enough.” I growled. “Just please help me get ready.”
Kelsey did my hair in an updo while Kylie did my make-up. They then helped me into my ballgown, which was a deep purple, almost burgundy color. It had a sweetheart neckline and gold colored lace appliques towards the top and bottom of the dress. I looked stunning, which was at least one plus.
I carefully got up and sipped on my heels before having one final look in the mirror. I looked gorgeous, but felt miserable. Fan-f*****g-tastic. We just have to get through today. Just one day and then I can lock myself away for a few weeks like I had planned to do on our honeymoon.
Ding
I quickly snapped my head in the direction of the elevator, and there he was. Thorin stood there wearing a fancy-looking black suit, a bouquet of roses and a gift bag in hand.
“Give us a minute..” I said to my sisters, my eyes never leaving him.
“Yup.” Kylie said, quickly grabbing her things.
“Awe!” Kelsey gawked as Kylie dragged her out.
Thorin and I had a silent stare down while we waited for Kelsey and Kylie to leave. As soon as they were gone, Thorin slowly made his way over to me.
“Forgive me.” He said, handing me the roses. “I should not have left like that. I was scared. Loosing Alina was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. You telling me you were pregnant…it brought all of it back.”
“I know.” I said, wiping my tears away. “That was a lot.”
“It does not excuse behaviour.” He shook his head. He paused for a moment, before opening the gift bag and pulling out something wrapped in tissue. He cleared his throat before opening it, “This was Alina’s baptism dress. My mother made it from my grandmother’s wedding dress. I was thinking if we had girl, she might wear it too.” He shrugged awkwardly, while handing me the small white dress.
Relief of all sorts washed over me as I looked at the precious white heirloom. I took this as a sign that, on some level or another, he was okay with the pregnancy.
“Of course.” I cried, pulling him in for a hug. “I had no idea you had this.”
“I keep locked away.” He shrugged, taking a deep steadying breath into my shoulder. “How far along are you?”
“A few weeks. They said everything looked good so far.”
“Good.” He said, breathing a sigh of relief, relaxing into me.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
“So does this mean your not leaving me?” I asked after a long moment.
“Of course not, I would never, could never.” He shook his head. “Now, come, no more sadness. We have ceremony to attend, people to greet.” He said, trying to discretely wipe his eyes.
“Wait-” I said, pulling him back to me for a long k**s. “Thank you.”
– – – – – – – – – –
Thorin
Finding out that Kelly was carrying my pup was quite a surprise. I was fearful at first, but then I thought about how much Kelly has endured, and how much I have, and all I could think was that it had to be for a reason, and perhaps this was it. I also thought, if our pup was even half as strong as its mother, he or she would be just fine.
When I left, I revisited my old home where I had a stash of Alina’s things stored underneath the floorboards beneath my bed. A few photos, her dress, and favorite toy were all. It brought back so many memories, good and bad. I prayed that the moon goddess would give us a healthy pup, and that we would be buried before our pup took its last breath. I don’t know if I could handle losing another.
After taking some time to myself, I knew I needed to go back and speak with Kelly. I prayed that she would forgive me. The last thing I wanted was to lose her because of my own fears. Thankfully, the moon goddess was merciful to me. Kelly forgave me and we were currently making our rounds, greeting all of our guests.
I had to resist the urge to place my hand on Kelly’s stomach protectively as we spoke with everyone. If I could, I would lock her up in her room and ensure she didn’t lift a finger the entire pregnancy.
“Thorin, you remember King Edwards boys, Levi and Xander?”
“Da. Thank you for coming.” I nodded politely.
“So good to see you again. It’s been far too long,” Kelly said, as she began speaking to the young boys.
While she talked, I surveyed the crowd, making sure no one was up to any trouble. There were many faces I didn’t recognize but everyone seemed happy, having wine in their glasses and food in their mouths. Something in particular smelled quite interesting, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. Some sort of herbal smell, maybe lavender? It was nice, but almost suffocating.
“What is that smell?” I finally asked, interrupting the conversation Kelly was having with the twin princes.
“What smell?” Kelly asked.
I turned in the direction of the smell, my breath hitching when I realized what it was.
“Oh! Thorin, this is Lady Angelica Monroe. She lives in the eastern kingdom with her father.”
“Mate.”
“Mate.”