Chapter b183 /b

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    The flutter beneath my skin was so gentle I almost thought I’d imagined it. But then it happened again, a little stronger this time, and I immediately snatched Alexander’s hand and ced it there. His green eyes went wide as realization washed over him.

    This was the first time I’d felt our child move. All those months of morning sickness and exhaustion and doctor’s appointments, and this was the moment when it finally felt real.

    There was a tiny person growing inside of me, strong enough now to make their presence known.

    We did it.

    We survived.

    Alexander’s hand stayed pressed against my belly, although both of us had stopped dancing. The others around us continued to twirl andugh, turning into a blur of shapes and colors.

    “Right there,” I said as another little kicknded squarely under his palm. “Do you feel that?”

    He nodded, green gaze never leaving mine. And for a long moment, nothing else existed except for us.

    Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones, or maybe it was the way he was looking at me like I was the most precious thing in the world, but standing there with his hand on my belly and the evening light turning everything golden, I couldn’t fight the thought anymore.

    I might really love him.

    And the way Alexander was looking at me, the tenderness in his touch as he felt our baby move, made me wonder if he might be starting to feel the same way.

    The baby kicked again, and Alexander’s face split into a smile.

    “Little one’s awfully strong,” he said quietly,

    “Takes after their father.”

    Something flickered across his face at that, and for a second I thought he might say something important. Something that would finally give me a clue about where his head was at regarding us.

    But then Gabriel appeared at his shoulder, and the moment shattered.

    “Alpha, we need to discuss the cleanup schedule,” Gabriel said. There wasn’t a hint of remorse at the fact that he had clearly just interrupted a private moment.

    Alexander’s walls went back up instantly, his hand dropping from my belly as he turned to his Beta.

    Something passed between them, a silent conversation that only they could hear.

    “Of course,” Alexander said after a moment. His voice was rough.

    “Can’t it wait five minutes?” I blurted out.

    Gabriel didn’t even look at me. “The vendors need to know when they can start breaking down their

    booths.”

    My jaw worked, but I knew there was no chance I could convince Alexander ito /istay. Gabriel always had

    an uncanny way of getting between us, and it never seemed as if Alexander had an interest in stopping

    him.

    If anything, the way Gabriel always interrupted us seemed to relieve Alexander. Like he was afraid of

    what might happen if his Beta didn’t show up at the perfect time.

    I watched them walk away with a bitter feeling in my chest. But I pushed that feeling away, refusing to

    let it spoil the beautiful thing I had just experienced: my baby kicking for the first time.

    A soft smile curved my lips as I ced my hand on my belly again. The baby had gone still, but my skin was still warm and tingling where I had just felt a little hand or foot.

    “There you are, dear.” Lilith appeared beside me with a steaming mug and a concerned expression on her

    face. “You look exhausted.”

    “Just tired. And my feet are swollen.” I epted the mug gratefully, breathing in the scent of chamomile and something else I couldn’t identify as I followed her over to a nearby table. “What’s in this?”

    “Just some herbs that help with pregnancy swelling. Nothing the baby won’t like.” Lilith settled into one of the chairs with a soft grunt. “How are you feeling otherwise? You looked like you were having fun

    dancing.”

    “I was. It felt good to move like that again.” I took a sip of the tea, surprised by how soothing it was. Actually, something weird happened while I was shifted earlier. My wolf picked up this scent that seemed familiar. Like family, but not my father.”

    I meant it as a joke, but Lilith went very still beside me. “Family?”

    “Yeah, it was the strangest thing. For a second I could have sworn the scent wasing from you, but that’s impossible, right?” Iughed, expecting her tough with me.

    Instead, Lilith’s grip tightened on her own mug, and I caught the briefest sh of something that looked like panic in her eyes before she forced a smile.