Chapter 261

[ 1,206 words ]

Emilia’s POV

It was Saturday, which meant Sebastian was supposed to be off.

But Beta Fynn called early in the morning to remind Sebastian that the Alpha Summit was today and that he had to attend in person.

He groaned and dragged himself out from under the covers. “Come with me on this trip,” he muttered, tugging a shirt over his head.

I burrowed deeper into the pillows. “I start at Simons Imperial Group on Monday, remember? You’ll have me under your feet soon enough.”

He leaned down, pressed a lingering, reluctant kiss to my lips, then finally forced himself away to shower and dress.

After what he’d done to me on the balcony last night, he hadn’t been satisfied. He’d dragged me back to bed and gone at it for what felt like hours. Now I couldn’t even lift my legs, while he strolled out the door looking annoyingly refreshed and ready to run an empire.

“Men,” Eve grumbled somewhere in the back of my mind. “Absolutely no consideration.”

“Tell me about it,” I mumbled, and went back to sleep.

I didn’t wake until noon. The thought of cooking for one in a huge, empty beach house was depressing, so I picked up my phone and called Mila instead.

She answered, delight bursting through her voice. “Emilia! What a lovely surprise. Why do I get the honor of your call today?”

“Mom, you make it sound like I never phone you,” I said, smiling despite myself.

She laughed warmly. “Have you eaten lunch yet?”

“Not yet. Why?”

“Perfect. Come to the pack house. We’ll eat together.”

I hung up. I changed into fresh clothes, grabbed my keys, and drove out to Silver Moon Pack territory.

By the time I pulled up to the pack house, Mila was already waiting in the front room.

“Come here, let me look at you.” She cupped my face in her hands. “Good. You haven’t lost any weight.”

“Mom, you worry too much. Your son takes me out for a proper meal every single day. If anything, I’ve gained a few pounds.”

At the mention of Sebastian, a shadow flickered across her expression. “He still won’t come home?”

I couldn’t lie to her. “Not yet.”

Her shoulders sank, and she lowered her head, her eyes going glassy.

“Don’t be sad,” I said quickly, taking her hand. “It’s honestly not as bad as it looks. He said all those harsh things, and now he’d feel ridiculous walking back through that door like nothing happened. Give me a little more time to work on him. He’ll come around.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so. Just last night he told me himself how much he loves you and Dad. He’s just terrible at saying it, so he keeps it all locked up inside.”

“All right.” Mila squeezed my fingers. “I’m counting on you, then.”

“You’ve got me. He’ll be back before you know it.”

She looked visibly better after that. She took my hand and led me toward the dining room. “Come, let’s eat.”

When I saw the table, my eyebrows shot up. It was practically groaning under the weight of it, roast, ribs, the works.

“Wow. Living conditions really improve around here when Sebastian and I aren’t home.”

Tiffany grinned from her seat. “Nope. Mom knew you were coming, so she had the kitchen add a few extra dishes just for you.”

Titus joined in. We settled in.

“Eat more.” Mila kept piling food onto my plate.

I’d had nothing since morning, so I dug in without shame, starving.

“Hurry up and convince that husband of yours to come home,” she said. “All this eating out isn’t good for either of you.”

“I will,” I promised around a mouthful.

The food was incredible. By the time I finished, I collapsed onto the sofa and rubbed my stomach. “I haven’t eaten that much in ages. I think I’m about to burst.”

Something in my words seemed to trigger a thought in Mila. She came and sat beside me, then lowered her voice, her eyes drifting pointedly down toward my belly. “Tell me, you two, are you using protection?”

Heat crept up my neck. I shook my head. “No. Not for a while now.”

“Then why aren’t you pregnant yet? You’ve been mated more than half a year.”

That stung a little, honestly. “I don’t know.”

“Have you seen a doctor? Gotten checked?”

“Mom, I can’t just march into a clinic and ask about that. It’s mortifying.”

She frowned. “Then I’ll go with you. We’ll get you looked at properly.”

“No, really, there’s no need. I’m just letting nature take its course. You can’t force these things. When it’s meant to happen, it’ll happen.”

“That’s not how it works.” She shook her head firmly. “I was with Titus once, once, and I fell pregnant with Sebastian. It isn’t normal for a fated pair to go this long with nothing.”

I flushed deeper. “Even so, I don’t think we need a check-up. We’re both still young. There’s no rush.”

“You’re not in a rush, but I am. Every time I see the other pack elders cradling their grandpups, I can barely stand it.”

“There’s nothing I can do about that. It’s not something I can just wish into being.”

“Which is exactly why you should get checked. We need to know why it isn’t happening. If something’s wrong, you can start treatment right away. Just do it, for me, so this old woman can finally hold a grandchild.”

I pressed my fingers to my temple. My head was starting to throb.

Mila’s voice softened. “I’m not trying to pressure you, Emilia. I want you to get checked because I care about you. Whether I become a grandmother now or next year, it doesn’t matter. But Abigail is back, and she still hates this family. She blames me for her parents’ deaths and Titus for separating her from Sebastian. She’ll do anything to get him back.”

She took my hand. “Sebastian loved her for three years. You know that makes things complicated. A pup wouldn’t solve everything, but it would give you and Sebastian something that belongs to both of you.”

My fingers tightened in my lap.

When I first learned Abigail was back, I had desperately considered having a pup to keep Sebastian by my side. But the more I thought about it, the more selfish it seemed. What would happen to me and the baby if Sebastian chose Abigail in the end? Would I end up like my mother, abandoned by my father while she was still carrying me?

I looked at Mila and spoke firmly. “If you’re telling me to have a pup to keep him, then I’d rather give up. I won’t tie Sebastian to me with a pup, and I won’t build our marriage on fear.”

“That’s not what I’m saying.” Mila shook her head. “A pup isn’t a tool to keep a marriage together. It’s a bond, the deepest kind our kind has. It’s the living proof of what the two of you share, your own little joy in the world. Don’t tell me you don’t want to bring a child into this world with the man you love?”

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