Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Alpha’s Pregnant Bride Chapter 14

Skye

Merciful gods, my belly was aching in ways I never thought possible. I called the only person I knew who could help me with such a thing-a woman who was also going through the same kind of pains. Only her belly was much bigger than mine. That was part one. Part two was that Jada didn't know yet. She just thought I had called her to join me in the treehouse near the beach to plan the expansion of the houses Wendell, Isaiah, and Elias had already built. The cabins were nice but needed a lot of interior work done. With two women moving onto the land, I had to imagine more people would want to settle with us too.

I spread out the map on the table. Jada sat nearby in a rocking chair that Isaiah had hauled up here without breaking a sweat. The way he took care of her made me jealous-and then it made me mad. Because I knew I could have that with Troy if I just gave in a little bit.

But what would giving in entail? Being around his ex-girlfriend? At least Oscar didn't live in the same pack. He was separated from everything. The least Troy could do was send Myrna to Blake's side of the fence.

Which, he technically had done. He'd sent Myrna and Claire to the mansion where they would get pampered with their own suite. Maybe after some time spent in the lavish halls of the Beaufort Creek mansion, they wouldn't want to come back. One could only hope.

"You going to keep worrying yourself into wrinkles over there?" Jada teased. "Or are you going to tell your best friend what's going on?"

I rolled my eyes.

"I saw that."

When I looked up, Jada was focused on a magazine that was open on her lap. She wasn't even facing my direction. How'd she notice my eyes had rolled?

She tapped the back of her head. "I grew a pair during my pregnancy. I can see everything now."

"You're reading my mind. That's creepy."

"It's part of the job."

I shook my head. "I don't know about all that, Jada."

"What don't you know?"

"I didn't sign up for this."

My hands found the worn edges of the map. While it was the best Wendell could provide on short notice that hadn't been tampered with, I wasn't sure where to situate the neighborhoods to be in productive flow with the rest of the land. It wasn't a huge plot or anything, and it wasn't like we couldn't rearrange things later.

I just didn't want to mess it up.

Jada stood up, causing the chair to rock rapidly until it slowed to a halt. She closed the magazine and fanned herself with it. The treehouse didn't exactly have air conditioning. Suddenly, I felt awful for dragging my bestie into this sweltering hot mess. I was going to hate being pregnant. "Sorry."

"About?"

"The heat."

She shrugged. "I'm used to it. Are you alright? You look like you're about to pass out." She collected a couple of bottles from the cooler on her way to me and opened one. "Here, you're probably thirsty."

My mouth was dry. That was two for two on the mind reading spectrum for Jada. She was getting eerily good at this. I tipped the bottle back, chugged it down, and then sighed with relief when the cold liquid hit my belly.

Nausea slammed into my core. I regretted chugging half the bottle and raced to the window, getting ready to chuck my breakfast on the ground below-and possibly Isaiah. He was probably lingering nearby to protect Jada. The two could never be found apart for very long.

It made me wonder about Troy and whether he was nearby.

"Hey, easy now," Jada whispered. "When did you find out?"

I choked. "What?"

"You're pregnant."

I shushed her while gripping the windowsill. Thank the gods I hadn't thrown up, but I knew I wasn't in the clear just yet. Jada rubbed my upper back, letting me have a quiet moment while I waited for the nausea to pass. It took a while, sending my head spinning and my heart hammering furiously in my chest. When I felt like I was in the clear, I let Jada guide me to a cushioned seat.

"Don't say that so loud," I croaked. "I don't want anyone knowing yet."

She nodded. "I understand."

"I knew you would."

"I figured you had something to talk about. The neighborhood thing didn't seem that pressing an issue."

I sighed. "I mean, it will be eventually."

"Why's that?"

"Didn't you hear about the survivors?"

She nodded.

"Well, it's Troy's ex-girlfriend."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, that's..." She licked her lips nervously. "Well, that's something."

"It's horrifying. What if I'm not good enough?"

She caught my shoulders. "Honey, don't ever say that about yourself."

"But Jada, he's...he's going to..."

"What? He's going to what?"

My cheeks pinched. I couldn't even get the words out of my mouth. He's going to leave. I couldn't explain how I knew. I just knew. It was a woman's intuition or whatever Laurencia would call it. Gut instinct. Even with the clump of cells in my gut, I could tell it was warning me about Troy taking off.

I was probably pushing him away.

I shuddered. "I don't know."

"Yes, you do. Spit it out."

"I don't want to talk about it."

She stood up. "Then why did you ask me to come here with you?"

"I don't know."

Tears flooded my vision. They came before I could stop them, and then they fell so hard that they soaked my yoga pants like I had just spilled water on them. I hated crying. I hated doing it in front of anyone. It made my face puffy, and it clogged up my nostrils. I usually became a blubbering mess of syllables at some point.

My ex-boyfriends had despised my crying. They said it made me look ugly. So I avoided it as much as I could. Crying in front of Troy was fine because he was understanding. Jada was understanding too, but doing it still made me feel weak and powerless. I just wanted to dig a hole in the ground and shove my head into it until I gave birth.

Assuming that was even okay with Troy.

"Honey," Jada said softly. She rubbed my arm. "It's alright. I know it's a roller coaster with the emotions."

"It's stupid."

She chuckled. "It sure is stupid. You got the cravings too. And you want s*x all the time."

I scoffed. "Literally."

"You just become a hungry, horny, crying mess."

"You get me."

She laughed. "I do."

I quietly shoved my face into my hands. My palms were sweating and now they were soaked in tears. Great-that was what I needed more than anything else. To be wet from crying and sweating. I just felt gross, pudgy, and pregnant.

"My feet hurt," I whined. "I don't understand why I'm so sad. I want to eat my weight in waffles."

"Have you tried?"

I shook my head.

"I'd recommend eating more. It helps."

"I just...I haven't..."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, you haven't even told Troy."

"I didn't have time. That girl and her mom walked in and just..." I shrugged. "I mean, that was a week ago, but..."

"But?"

I turned away from her. "I don't know."

"You have to know something, Skye. You can't just sit there and let life happen to you. What do you think will happen if you keep being passive about it?"

I grimaced. "I can't figure out anything. I'm useless. I fell behind on homework and I can't keep up with the stupid schedule."

"Have you tried asking for help?"

"Why would I do that? You're busy with your pregnancy and your happily ever after. It's not like you have time outside of Isaiah. You're literally always with him."

She stepped back. "I didn't realize you felt that way."

"Yeah, well, you've been so obsessed with your mate that you haven't really noticed us."

"Skye, that isn't fair to say. I've given you a lot of support since your match with Troy was announced."

I sniffed indignantly. "A few nights out of the past month or so. That's not really a whole lot in the grand scheme of things."

"You didn't tell me you felt this way."

"Why do I have to tell you? You can read my mind and my body so well. Couldn't you have figured it out?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to take them back. I knew that wasn't fair to say to my best friend. She had every right to focus on her life and her connections. I wasn't the only person around who needed her. And now that she had a pup on the way, she was going to be even more busy.

Demanding her time was unreasonable. But I couldn't help myself. I was feeling hurt.

Jada crossed her arms over her chest and turned to the window. Her back was to me. I knew she was trying to protect herself, but it felt like she was rejecting me. "You really do need to eat."

She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen a few times. A few minutes later, a knock echoed from the door. She popped it open and accepted two foam trays from Isaiah. His curious eyes swept over the room before he disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Jada carried the trays to the table, opened them up, and pulled up a chair.

"Come and eat before you bite somebody else's head off," she warned in a motherly voice.

She certainly was embodying her new role. While it made me feel childish, I knew that saying something childish would have invited that tone from anybody. She didn't deserve my anger just because I was mad at Troy.

And I really was hungry.

Eventually, the overpowering smell of pork sandwiches drew me to the table, and I sat next to my bestie, hoping she didn't hate my guts for being snappy. After a few large bites, I was feeling much better, fuller, and more in control. I set my sandwich down and bowed my head. "Sorry, Jada."

"I get it."

"No, that doesn't mean it's okay."

She hummed. "Correct."

"I'm just a mess. I don't mean to be mean. I just..." I rubbed my forehead. "I've never been a mean girl. What's happening to me?"

"Hormones."

I groaned. "Make it stop."

"Well, you could make it stop if you wanted. You could go see Dr. Windsor and Troy would never be the wiser about it."

"But that's lying to him."

She nodded slowly. "It is, but I would keep your secret. And so would Isaiah."

My eyes nearly popped out of my skull from going so wide. "Is he listening?" I whispered in a hiss. "Is he...?" I pointed to the door.

She shook her head. "No, he's not doing it on purpose. But I'm sure he's heard plenty already." She pointed to her ears. "We've both noticed we can hear better than the average shifter."

Shock invaded my features. "Is that a mate bond thing?"

"I have no clue, if I'm being honest. I think it might have something to do with the experiments that Dr. Myrtle did."

"Isn't he dead?"

She frowned at her tray. "Well, that's the rumor, anyways. It hasn't been clear whether he died in the elements or if he was caught lurking around the land and locked away." "What do you think?"

"I think the man isn't a threat anymore. But I think what he left behind was a bunch of shifters with their DNA all out of whack."

I looked at her stomach. "Do you think your pup is okay?"

"I'm sure my pup is fine. And I'm sure whatever happens will be handled when it happens. I just wanted to tell you the whole truth, so you're prepared to handle it, okay?"

By the gods, I truly was lucky to have a friend like Jada. She was patient and kind in every way. I mean, being married to Isaiah would have challenged anyone to develop some serious patience.

I poked the side of the sandwich I hadn't bitten yet. "I'm sorry, Jada. I shouldn't have attacked you. I feel so alone in that house without you and Laurencia. I just...I'm so used to living in that apartment, you know?" "It's a big change. It would stress anybody out."

"I feel like I'm not allowed to complain."

She chortled. "Why? You were chosen for a match that you're not sure you want. That would make anybody complain."

"I remember how quick it changed with you and Isaiah. Will that happen for me?"

"There's no telling what will happen, Skye. But you have some options. I'm always happy to help you there."

Guilt shot through my center. "I don't want to lie to him."

"So, don't lie to him."

"It's that simple?"

She nodded.

"Maybe Emmett was right. Maybe I should keep those two lines open."

Her brows furrowed in that inquisitive way they do when she's not sure about something. Right-I hadn't exactly told Jada about what my brother said. It had been so far-fetched that I hadn't considered it until now. Until it was appealing. "Emmett advised me to court both Oscar and Troy."

Her face darkened. "Skye, that doesn't sound like a good-"

"Why not?" I cut her off. "Because if Troy doesn't want a kid and he doesn't want me-you know, since his ex-girlfriend came back-then the least I could do is fall back on Oscar."

"You'd be playing them both."

I shook my head. "That's what people do when they date, right? They keep their lines open. It doesn't mean I'm cheating or anything. It's just a fail-safe."

"Is that how you see your match? As a fail-safe?"

Anger returned swiftly. "You were just telling me I could go to Dr. Windsor and get a medical procedure done without telling Troy a damn detail of it. But you don't approve of me courting two men at the same time?"

"That's messy business, Skye. You can hardly handle being a field manager and a college student. How can you possibly handle two men?"

I stood abruptly, sending my chair skittering backward. "You know what? This was a dumb idea. I'm sorry I wasted your time. And I'm sorry I don't make you proud as a field manager."

I stomped to the door with Jada protesting the whole way there. The tears came back with a vengeance. If she wanted to snap back at me for what I'd said to her earlier, fine. I didn't have to stick around and listen to it all. Just as much as she didn't deserve insults, neither did I.

I would just go handle everything by myself.

As always.