Chapter 767
The dining room smelled of roasted chicken and rosemary, the scent making my stomach growl even as my baby fluttered low in my belly. I smoothed a hand over my small swell, my mind tumbling through the thing I hadn’t said out loud yet; my nerves, my hopes, my fear that I wasn’t doing enough to belong in this family… in this pack. I wasn’t just going to be a mother; I was going to be a Luna as well.
I never thought that I would ever be either, and it was a huge responsibility. I had one dream in life, and that was to be a gamma warrior… that was what I worked so hard to be, and now it’s like my dreams had all shifted to surround this little bean inside of me.
“Where are we going for vacation?” Matt asked, bouncing on his toes excitedly. It was rare that I saw Matt act his age; he was only 9, and he was the youngest shifter to ever be known in existence, not to mention an incredibly skilled fighter. It made me smile to see him so excited.
Irene had given me a wide–eyed look when Gavin mentioned a family vacation, and I gave her a slight wink, indicating that her suspicions were true; we were going to Alpha Jeremy’s pack, Blood Thorne.
Jermey’s territory was European and a place I always wanted to visit.
“Blood Thorne,” Gavin told him.
“Where is that?” Matt asked, his eyes wide.
“France,” Irene said with a grin. “It’s Alpha Jeremy’s territory.”
“Ohhh! I always wanted to go to France!” Matt said excitedly.
“Good, because we are going in a couple of days,” Gavin announced. “I was sent tickets to the Masquerade ball. Though Matt, you won’t be able to attend the ball, I’m sure there will be something we can find for you to do.”
“Why can’t I go to the ball?” He asked, pouting.
“It’s for adults,” Gavin told him.
“What are we talking about?” Taylor asked. I hadn’t noticed him and Eliza seated at the table when we entered.
Eliza stood and gave me a hug as I neared her.
“How are you feeling?” She asked, placing her hand on my belly. She can’t help herself; even when she’s not on duty, she’s still working.
I smiled at her.
“I’m feeling incredible,” I tell her.
“Good; any abdominal pain?”
“None,” I assured her. “Don’t fuss over me, Eliza. We didn’t invite you here so you can work.”
She blushed at my words and sucked her bottom lip into my mouth. (1
“I’m sorry,” she said sheepishly. “Sometimes I can’t help it.”
“What do you say, Eliza? Up for a trip?” Taylor asked, interrupting our little side conversation. We both turned to see Taylor and Gavin staring over at us. Gavin must have told him about our trip to Jeremy’s territory.
“A trip?” She asked, blinking. “Where?”
“Blood Thorne,” Taylor told her. “Alpha Jeremy’s territory.”
“Isn’t that a pack in France?” she asked, raising her brows. “I did some work over there a couple of years ago.”
Taylor nodded.
“We were just invited to a Masquerade ball over the weekend,” Taylor said, nodding his head towards Gavin.
Eliza frowned.
“I have patients here; I can’t exactly go away for a whole weekend,” Eliza said, a crease forming between her
brows.
“We can get someone to cover your patients,” Gavin told her as he took his seat, motioning for me to sit beside him. “I wanted you to come along specifically for Judy. I worry about her being so far away during this fragile state of pregnancy, and considering it’s high risk, I wanted you to remain close to her during this trip.”
Eliza’s frown didn’t ease, though her expression softened slightly.
“I don’t trust anyone else with my patients,” she said softly.
“It’s only for the weekend, and I can help you choose a proper candidate to take over,” Gavin assured her. ” There has to be someone you trust at least a little.”
She thought about it for a moment before she let out a breath.
“I suppose I can find someone,” she murmured before she lifted her gaze to her mate. “Okay, I suppose we can go.”
Taylor’s face lit up with excitement.
“Excellent,” he said, clapping his hands together.
“These invites include a plus one, so that still leaves us with one ticket left. I’m not entirely sure why he sent me so many,” Gavin said, his eyes shifting to me. I knew he suspected something, considering I mentioned going to his territory prior to these invites. But I feigned innocence. “Any idea who we should invite next?”
“How about Nan?” I asked quickly. “She can bring Chester.”
“I had a feeling that’s what you’d say,” Gavin said with a smirk.
“Can we bring Erk too?” Irene asked, her eyes shifting to her father. “He can be my plus one… it would be good to have a bodyguard, and Erik knows us the best. I think he’d be a better traveling companion than anyone else.”
Gavin thought about it for a moment before he nodded.
“I’ll talk to Erik tomorrow,” Gavin said.
Just then, our dinner arrived. My stomach growled even more at the sight of the delicious food. I said my thanks to the maid who placed a plate in front of me, along with a glass of water.