Origins: Silver Mountain

Chapter Three

Renée

I was nervously chewing my bottom lip as I waited for the nurse to return with my results. It wasn’t easy hiding the nausea and unusual fatigue from my mate. He was as sharp as a whip, so I sucked it up and dealt with it.

We had tried for years to conceive, but had no luck. Augustus settled on the idea that we may not ever have a pup of our own, but I just couldn’t let it go.

The nurse walked in with her clipboard and sat down in the rolling chair.

“Congratulations, Madame. You are pregnant.” She smiled.

My heart swelled with joy. A pup? I was finally going to be a mommy!

The nurse handed me a tissue and I realized my eyes had welled with tears. There was so much to plan; so much to do! I couldn’t wait to tell Augustus. He would be over the moon.

I left the pack hospital feeling great. Nothing could break my spirits today or moving forward. The Moon Goddess had blessed us. I had to repay her by preparing for my little sweetheart. I went to the small shopping plaza and picked up a few maternity items, then stopped by a thrifty little store to check out their infant section. By the time I finished my shopping trip, I realized it was getting late.

Thankfully, the market was in the direction of our home. I went straight to the butcher’s booth to pick up some steaks and then to the vegetable stand. After I made it home, I set the groceries on the kitchen counter. I put my clothing purchases in the laundry room. A quick shower was due. My mind roamed to Augustus.

Get dressed. Cook. Set the table.

Augustus would be home soon, so I needed to get started.

I was finishing up dinner when I heard the door open. My heart pounded. He’s home. I’m going to get to tell him he will be a daddy. I took steadying breaths to calm my nerves. I didn’t know why I was so nervous.

I called to him to close the door. He obliged, joining me in the kitchen.

“Dinner is almost ready. Wash up.”

His touch almost made me melt into a puddle. He kissed my cheek.

“Smells wonderful.” His dimpled smile nearly caused me to burn my hand. He didn’t catch that as he made his way upstairs. I finished up and set the table. It seemed like forever before he came back downstairs.

He took his seat across from me, picking up his utensils. Smalltalk ensued, just so I could ease into it. I was bursting and the news just couldn’t wait though.

“I’m pregnant.” He froze. I knew he was too stunned to speak because his eyebrows were raised and his jaw dropped. I chuckled internally as I waited patiently for him to come to.

“You’re pregnant. We’re having a pup!” Augustus was on his feet, grabbing me from my chair and peppering my smiling face with kisses.

Now, I was even more excited to invite him to the ultrasound appointment.

***

We had gone to bed early after Augustus drank enough celebratory wine to take down an elephant. I didn’t mean it literally when I told him to drink enough for me. I watched him sleep for a second before getting up to make some breakfast and pack his lunch. He was usually at the packhouse all day taking care of business, so I did the bare minimum of making sure he had well-balanced meals.

It wasn’t always like this. There used to be a community kitchen where anyone could visit for a hot meal. After King Lukas took over, many things were changed around here. I just hoped it was good enough to raise pups. We had discussed leaving, but never made any solid plans. Augustus had been appointed to serve as the King Lukas’s advisor, so we didn’t have it as bad as others. We settled into our uneventful life here.

Our neighbors avoided us, but we figured we could live with that since Augustus got a decent stipend and free housing. It was that or be poor, like most of the population now.

The King implemented many policies that were unfair to the majority. Silver Mountain was a free territory. No wolf, or anyone else, went without. Judeah was such a kind soul. Our territory mourned the loss of him terribly.

I shook away my thoughts as I zipped up the lunch bag and plated my mate’s breakfast. Like clockwork, he came stomping down the stairs.

“Good morning, honey.”

“Good morning, beautiful.”

He dropped down into a chair at the dining table and groaned.

I set the green juice I had made to help with any symptoms of a hangover in front of him. He gulped it down before I even made it back to the kitchen.

I returned to his side with his food, placing his lunch bag on the table next to his plate.

He smiled adoringly at me and I grabbed my own plate to join him. We talked about the pup the whole time.

Time went by too quickly. My mate stood to leave and grabbed his coat from the hook beside the door.

“Back to the packhouse for another day.”

“I’ve been thinking again about leaving. I’m not so sure about raising a pup here.”

Augustus studied me for a long moment, then sighed.

“If your intuition is telling you it’s time to move on, we should listen.”

I sighed in relief. Augustus left for work as I began cleaning.

A new home would be good for us. I had been devastated by the loss of Judeah and the community he had fostered here. Silver Mountain hadn't felt like home since Lukas took over. I disagreed with everything he did. It just wasn't right. It wasn't what Judeah had in mind for the territory. I was disappointed by my mate's decision to become his advisor, but things would probably be much worse if he didn't act as a voice of reason to Lukas's madness. In a perfect world, Judeah would return, defeat Lukas, and restore order. I couldn't deny that my loyalty to him may play a part in my disdain for the self-proclaimed king.

I finished up my chores for the morning and settled in to read a good book. But my thoughts kept wandering to the life we could have outside of this territory. I set my book down on the coffee table and daydreamed. A house, a little green house, with a huge front yard for our pups to play in. A thriving community built on trust, honor, kindness, and loyalty. A strong community that could hold its own. That would be nice.