Northern Lights: The Druid of Black Lake

Chapter 18

Heath wasn't on edge or nervous at all. He was ready, calm radiated from him which was wonderful considering his mother was exactly the opposite. Cheryl was worried about the meal and the speeches, even though this event wasn't really a social one. She was also worried about the delegates from the surrounding packs of the North West Territories. It was more of a right of passage, a political ceremony. I did my best to help Cheryl stay as cool as possible, but I wasn't winning that battle. As the days inched closer we were all ready for it be over and done with.

I was starting to feel very pregnant. My feet hurt all the time now, so did my back and hips. The skin across my stomach was so tight I was becoming very uncomfortable. I was officially walking with a waddle, having to rush to the bathroom several times each hour. My sleep patterns were not very steady, I woke up each night several times to pee or to shift in bed to try and get more comfortable. Because I am only 5ft3 I didn't have a lot of places for this baby to go so my belly felt so big and heavy.

I took some herbs and drank some tea for sore muscles but it didn't help much as it was all to do with pregnancy. It mellowed my uncomfortable feelings but it didn't last long. I phoned Gamma Rose almost every day. She offered a lot of comfort to me, sent me over some bath salts to soak in full of lavender and tea tree oils. I enjoyed her mentorship, Gamma Rose was an amazing woman. She was going to be my midwife for the birth. Then afterward she was going to teach me so I would be Marie's midwife.

Clark was a saint. He rubbed my back, feet, legs, hips. He listened to my complaining without a word and never stopped bringing me comfort food. I did catch him laughing at me a few times when he saw me waddling which I had to admit was probably pretty funny. Clark was still obsessed with my belly, especially now that I was so big. Whenever we were in the same room his hand was on it protectively. It was like a reflex for him, already protecting our child before he was even born. Clark was going to be a great father; I could feel it through our bond.

I was in the library that afternoon, two days before the Alpha ceremony when Tabitha came rushing in out of breath. I was sending Marie an email when she startled me.

"Charlotte, I need your help!" she cried, kneeling down in front of me. I took her hand and rubbed it, "What's wrong?"

She was crying, tears running down her face. "He's here, my mate. I can smell that he is here."

My eyes went wide and I smiled at her, "That's exciting!" I rubbed her shoulders, but Tabitha kept crying. I didn't understand why.

"Why are you so upset?" I asked her. Tabitha lay her head on my knees, I ran my fingers through her hair to try to sooth her. She was weeping, I wasn't sure what happened.

"If he is here then I will have to leave. Only Alphas and Betas are here for Heath's ceremony so I will have to go back to their pack with him. I won't be able to take the druid training. I used to be excited to meet my mate but now I don't want to leave. I want to stay here and work with you. The werebears won't let me if I go to another pack." She wailed into my lap. My heart sank, of course. She had been spending so much time with me in my herbology lab. I was teaching her some of the things I had learned from Gamma Rose. I was going to recommend her to be the next in line for druid training if she came back from the mating exhibition next April.

"When did you start to feel it?" I asked her. Tabitha didn't look up, "About an hour ago. I thought you were making some lavender tea so I went to the kitchen but no one was there. The scent filled my entire body, then I felt the pull. I went to my room for a while but I was afraid he would find me there so I started searching for you."