Un•A•Were

42| Shifting

We walk hand in hand downstairs to the dining hall. The scent of breakfast fills our noses and I hear Mandy's stomach growling loudly in anticipation. She giggles and holds her free hand over her stomach. She looks so cute. "See! I told you so!" Which only makes her laugh harder. I could listen to that sound all day.

We sit down at the table with several full plates of food. Since we are not training today in preparation for Mandy's shift, the main goal is to make sure she's eaten enough to sustain her during the shift and takes it easy so her body is relaxed. I know her emotions are on edge, but the meditation must be working as there's been no change in the weather. We eat in a comfortable silence until Amanda sighs in contentment.

"Phew! Oh my god! I've never eaten so much in my life!" as she leans back in her seat and rubs her full belly.

"Just wait until you have pups!" former Luna Rachel enters the dining hall with her own plate of food. The mention of children sparks my imagination. Seeing Amanda with a pregnant belly and glowing. Her beauty enhanced by the fact that she's carrying my child.

"What is that goofy look on your face?" Amanda smirks while staring at me.

"Uh...nothing." I try to cover, but know I'm busted.

"Mhm...it doesn't look like nothing." she stares more intently. I lean down so I can whisper in her ear.

"I was just imagining how amazing you would look, glowing and pregnant with our child." I kiss her earlobe and hear her gasp. She turns to look at me with blushed cheeks and a hand over her shocked mouth. "What can I say? You looked fucking hot in my head! I can't help how much I love you!" Her blush deepens. "Come on, let's go for a walk." she takes my hand and follows me out of the pack house. It's been a while since we just strolled around the territory and talked.

After several hours, I know we need to get back and rest before tonight. We enter the pack house in time to eat lunch. The house is relatively quiet so we decide to watch a few shows on TV; however, we are interrupted by our friends entering the living room.

"So, we were thinking of ways to pass the time without using a ton of energy and we thought we could have a game night!" Whitney exclaims, obviously very excited. "We thought we'd play several rounds, boys versus girls."

"I'm in!" Mandy says with a burst of energy. "Oooohhhh, you're going down, baby!" I chuckle at how competitive she is, even if it's silly games.

"Pfft, I ain't scared of you!" I retort.

The next several hours are spent filled with charades, Pictionary, name that tune, heads up, and who am I? I have to applaud Whitney's idea as it really has been a great distraction. Mandy is laughing and enjoying the moment with friends. A bit of normalcy. The calm before the storm.

As the sun begins to set, we decide it's best to eat dinner, then take a quick nap before heading to the clearing behind the training center. Her shift would happen at midnight, so we need to be in place before then. After dinner, we enter our room so we can rest. Mandy curls into my side and sighs deeply. I feel her emotions and try to counter them with my own: love, reassurance, confidence, and strength. I hear her heartbeat slow and her pulse steady. She's asleep.

A few hours pass with her sleeping on my chest, when I hear a knock on the door. I feel James' Alpha aura before he states it's time to go behind the closed door. I lean down and kiss my mate's head, gently shaking her awake. I watch as her eyes flutter open and she stretches.

"It's time babygirl." I whisper into her hair. I watch as her eyes go wide with the realization of what's about to happen and she sits up in our bed.

"Bryan?"