"Kroshka."

I directed my gaze from the cake I was icing to the glorious Alpha male marching down the stairs in a pair of black slacks and a white collared shirt, his tie hanging loose around his neck, and let out an exaggerated whistle, "Why, hello handsome. Do I know you?"

Alrik lifted his head from buttoning his cuffs and gave me a wicked smirk as he strode over and grabbed my hand, tugging me into his arms.

"Mmm, I don't know you, but I'm open to getting reacquainted with your beautiful ass between the sheets," he muttered gruffly, palming my ass and pulling my leg around his hips while he nuzzled my neck.

Alrik has recently put his piercings back in because he thought they would make him appear younger, and if I thought we couldn't keep our hands off each other before, it was impossible now.

All he had to do was bite his pierced lip, and I was a puddle.

I hummed and slapped his chest lightly, "I spent an hour doing my make-up so let's not ruin it with what you have in mind."

He huffed against my neck, "Then, I guess I will have to settle with a kiss."

I smiled and leaned in for a peck, only to have him spin me around and pin my hips against the counter with his body.

"What the–"

He hiked my dress up my hips and kneeled, pressing his lips against my ass cheek and soothing the somewhat raw skin with his soft kisses. I inhaled sharply, and goosebumps scattered across my skin as he tugged the thin lining of my thong with the teeth and released it so it snapped against my skin, causing me to thrum with pleasure from the delicious sting.

From the glint in his eye, I expected him to continue his teasing, instead he tugged my dress back down, patted my ass, and straightened with a satisfied smile plastered on his face, "I love kissing your ass."

I 'hmph'ed and turned my attention back to icing the cake, trying to ignore his arms that were caging me in.

"I still don't know why I need a birthday cake. I'm getting old," he said under his breath.

I rolled my eyes, "You act as if you started sprouting white hairs the moment the clock struck midnight. You're only turning twenty-eight, birthday boy."

His palm slapped my ass before I could blink, "What did I tell you this morning, kroshka?"

"That for everytime I said the word birthday, you would smack my ass for reminding you that you're a grandpa," I said, barely concealing my amusement.

He narrowed his eyes and almost pouted at the grin on my face, "This isn't funny."

"I didn't say anything."

"Right," he mumbled sarcastically before leaning over to peck my cheek, "I'm going to take care of some pack work. I will be back in an hour or so, right on time for my stupid birthday dinner."

The moment he turned around, I took my chance and swatted his ass with the spatula, causing him to flinch in surprise and me to burst out giggling as he rubbed the sore spot.

"You–" he pointed at me accusingly.

"Call me 'Mistress'."

I barely had a chance to chuckle at his facial expressions before he stalked toward me and began running his fingers across my stomach, forcing laughter out of me as he hit the right spots.

"Alrik stop!" I wheezed, trying to grab his wandering hands.

"Mistress, huh?"

He finally gave me a moment to inhale before he crashed his lips into mine, making me release a soft moan as he dominated my mouth. When he pulled away, he bit his lip and ran his thumb along my bottom lip, "You might want to fix your lipstick, mistress."

He winked and walked out, leaving me to catch my breath with a dazed smile.

***

As the clock ticked close to six, I took a deep breath to calm the butterflies in my stomach.

But no matter how many times I double-checked that everything was in position, I couldn't settle my racing heart rate. Everything needed to be perfect for tonight – there was no in between with this.

The doorbell rang, and I hurried downstairs, momentarily forgetting my urge to dry heave. I flung the door open, and I was immediately attacked my a mass of frizzy red curls.

"Jaslynn! Bitch, I've missed you!" Meredith cried into my shoulder, squeezing me so I couldn't even respond. I patted her back and shoved at her shoulder so she would free me, and when she did, I couldn't help but grin at the radiant look on her face, "Married life is a good look on you, Mer. You're aboslutely glowing."

"I know," she beamed and leaned forward, whispering, "We got everything you need, but Dario doesn't know what's happening."

Before I could reply, said man bent forward, placing the cage on the ground, "I'm right here, and I would love an explanation."

He kissed my cheek and gave me a much less aggressive hug compared to his wife, "Hello, little angel. How are you?"

"I'm doing well, Dario, and sorry for keeping you in the dark. You'll find out what's going on after dinner," I said, giving him an apprehensive smile.

He nodded and wiggled his eyebrows, "I have an inkling, but I'm going to let you have this one. Now, do you want to meet him?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, dropping to my knees besides the cage as he unlocked it.

Holy. Mother. Of. Cuteness.

My heart nearly burst at the little furry face staring back at me.

"Oh my god," I squeaked, placing my fingers out so the little fur ball could sniff me, "He's precious."

"His name is Roscoe. Isn't he the cutest little thing you've ever seen?" Meredith cooed as Roscoe approached me warily.

I picked him carefully and felt my eyes sting with tears, "He's so perfect. I love him so much."

Dario had a horrified expression as he watched me practically sob over Roscoe, "Yeah, I think I know what's up now."

I choked out a laugh through my tears as he hugged me again, whispering his congratulations.

"Oh. My. Goddess. Look at that face!"

We pulled apart to find Reece and Leon gaping at Roscoe, who was curled up into my chest comfortably as he observed his surroundings, his tail wagging furiously.

"Reece. Leon. Meet Roscoe," I croaked, standing up and allowing Roscoe to sniff Reece's hands.

As she took him from my hands, Leon gave me a quick squeeze, patting my back as he whispered, "I hear congratulations are in order."

"Did Reece spill?" I shook my head in amusement.

"Well, she had to explain why I didn't find her in our bed at four in the morning," he smirked before switching his attention to Meredith and Reece's baby voices, making me chuckle as the memory of this morning flashed in my mind.

"If I wasn't so excited, I would punch you for waking me up at four in the morning," Reece muttered, curling up into a ball to rest her head on her knees.

I lifted my gaze from my slightly shaky fingers and glanced at the clock, "Believe me, I would not be awake right now either, but I need confirmation before Alrik wakes up or else I won't get another chance to do this."

"Well, the doctor better hurry because Alrik wakes up at five and–"

There was a soft knock on the door, and we both straightened up as the doctor entered with a tired smile on her face, "Good morning, Luna, Commander."

"Good morning, doc. Thank you for agreeing to meet us so early," I said gratefully, watching her set up her equipment swiftly.

"Not a problem, Luna. Now, let us see if your suspicions are right, shall we?"

She began rubbing the gel on my abdomen, and I felt another bout of nausea stir my insides from the nerves. Deep down, I knew what the doctor would say, but once she said it, it would all become all the more real.

I dug my teeth into my lip, glancing at the screen as she moved the transducer probe around and studied the black and white image intently. My heart was beginning to pound faster than the clock ticking in the background as she stayed silent for a moment too long.

Finally, she turned her head, her eyes meeting mine as her lips broke into a grin, "Congratulations, Luna. You are pregnant. For real this time."

***

"Yerik looks like he wants to strangle someone with the table cloth," Reece whispered as she handed me another glass of apple cider.

I peered over my shoulder at the silently fuming man and winced, "His siblings are that bad, huh?"

When Alrik's parents flew in for his birthday dinner, no one was expecting four extra guests to join them. As it turned out, Yerik's family wanted to surprise Alrik for his birthday, which was a pleasant surprise.

For some of us. Yerik and Aleksei were far from pleased when they saw Yerik's siblings saunter into the house like they owned it.

Reece sent me a deadpan expression, "Jas, his sister has been flirting with Alrik ever since she got here."

My eyes darted over to Yasmine, a stunning brunette that towered over me by at least five inches (which was no surprise considering how tall Yerik was), and I shrugged, "I mean, have you seen him? I could eat him up."

Reece snorted and shook her head with an amused smile, "I have to commend you for being so calm and secure. Leon and I could take a page out of your book. He set a napkin on fire when he overheard Dima trying to hit on me."

"Try eye-fucking each other," Meredith interjected from behind us, "That seems to be working for Jas and Alrik."

"We're not eye-fucking each other," I protested weakly.

That was the biggest lie that ever left my lips.

"Right," the two of them drawled in unison before pointedly looking at Alrik, who was narrowing his eyes at me.

"Hello ladies, what are we discussing?"

We turned our heads and found the notorious twins gazing down at us expectantly. Dima winked at me when he noticed me studying him and ran a hand through his hair, "Are you three discussing how hot I am?"

A typical nineteen-year old boy.

Meredith smiled brightly, "Actually, we were talking about how hot Alrik–"

"Isn't he?" Yasmine chirped.

"–is when he stares at Jaslynn like he wants to have her for dessert," Meredith finished as I elbowed her side.

Yasmine's smile fell, "Oh."

I groaned internally at how awkward the conversation suddenly became and decided to switch the subject for the twins' sake, "So are you two excited to find your mates? I hear you're almost of age."

Dima nodded, and Yasmine looked me up and down before shrugging.

Before another awkward silence could fall on us, Yerik's father called for Dima, and he excused himself. Yasmine diverted her attention to the refreshment table and helped herself to a glass of champagne.

"Before I head back to socializing with strangers, when are you bringing you-know-what downstairs?" Meredith asked, eyeing Yasmine cautiously.

"After dinner. I want it to be the last present he gets," I whispered back.

She nodded and winked before taking her wine glass and engaging a passerby Alma into our conversation.

***

After dinner, everyone headed into the living room to finish indulging in their cake and wine, and I was at the very back of the group, trying to wipe my lips after Alrik decided to smear chocolate over them with his lips.

I was just about done, when I heard a shriek come from the stairs.

"Look everyone! It's a puppy."

My heart dropped to the bottom of my stomach as everyone moved their attention to Yasmine, who was cuddling Roscoe and cooing at him, "Isn't he so sweet? He's even wearing a cute little bandana."

There were a series of 'aw's, and I stood there, completely frozen in a stunned silence, as she carried Roscoe over to Alrik, "I think he's for you, Alrik. I found him hidden in a room."

My fists clenched as Alrik took Roscoe in his arms silently and began scratching him behind the ears, his lips twitching.

Maybe it was hormones, but I felt the sudden urge to start bawling.

I was thrilled that Alrik liked Roscoe.

I was thrilled that he could make my ovaries burst by carrying a little furry puppy in his arms.

But I was completely devestated that this moment I had been looking forward to the whole day was taken away from me.

And even if I said something now, it was too late. The damage was done.

"If he was hidden, what gave you the right to bring him out?" Dario snapped, holding onto Meredith, who seemed to be struggling against his grip as she tried to launch herself at Yasmine.

"It just seemed like such a crime to hide such an adorable puppy. I mean, look at his wittle bandana. It says," she began, tugging at the wrinkled cloth to try to read the message.

However, Yerik reached out and smacked her hand away, causing her to flinch in surprise and step back.

At least that part of the surprise wasn't ruined.

Alrik adjusted Roscoe in his arms so the bandana was in his view alone before he fixed it. My heart began pounding in my ears when I knew he could see what was printed on the bandana clearly.

His eyes narrowed a little, but he gave no indication as to what he was feeling.

I bit my lip nervously and exchanged a look with Reece, who was glaring daggers at Yasmine until she saw me staring at her.

When Alrik finally looked up after squinting at the bandana for a good couple of minutes, his gaze flitted over the crowd and he cleared his throat, "Excuse me."

My lips parted in surprise as he took Roscoe and disappeared into the kitchen, the sound of the back door closing cutting through the silence. Reece and Meredith turned to me, and I nodded at them, placing my bowl on the table and quietly excusing myself.

I rushed outside into the pitch black night and paused near the trail to the gazebo, "Alrik!"

Nice going, Jas. Run outside in the dark without even bringing your wand.

I swiveled on my heel and made a move to march back to the house when I caught some shuffling coming from the gazebo.

"Alrik?"

The scuffling moved farther away, and there was a sequence of squeaky barking. I furrowed my eyebrows and turned my back momentarily to feel around for a stone that I could throw in that direction.

Only, my search for the perfect pebble was interrupted by a buzzing noise behind me.

I straightened slowly as the buzzing got louder, and then there was a brief snap, like the sound of stadium lights turning on.

Except a stadium wasn't illuminated.

The gazebo was.

My mind was at a standstill as it refused to process what exactly I was seeing. I was gaping like an idiot, and I had to grab onto the railing of the gazebo stairs as my feet led me toward it.

A gorgeous, wooden bassinet rested in the middle of the gazebo, with vines of light pink roses entwined with the cords of little golden fairy lights, weaved through the bars of the cradle, and decorating the sides of the charcoal piece.

I climbed up the steps slowly and ran my fingers along the smooth wood, ignoring the throbbing of my pulse and how lightheaded I felt all of a sudden.

And just when I thought my legs would fail me, an arm curled around my waist and a ball of warmth was pressed against my arm.

"You–you already knew," I whispered, feeling his smile as he leaned his chin onto my shoulder.

"I realized it a few days ago," he stated, nuzzling my mark, "No one else noticed, but considering I spend half my time burying my face in your neck, I knew your scent had changed just the slightest."

"My scent changes if I'm pregnant?"

He chuckled and turned me around to face him, placing Roscoe on the ground to explore, "The bigger our pup grows, the more your scent will change because this pup is not just a part of you. He or she is a part of me as well, and our pup's scent is a combination of both of our scents."

My mouth open and closed a few times as I tried to comprehend that he knew I was pregnant before I knew I was pregnant.

Contrary to his blank gaze back in the house, his eyes were now glowing with happiness as he smiled ear to ear down at me.

"I thought it would be the greatest plot twist if I announced it to you instead of the other way around," he said, taking my hand and pulling me toward the bassinet, "But then, I remembered a conversation we had months ago when you said how excited you would be to surprise me when you were pregnant. So I changed my mind."

Goddess, he could be so fucking adorable sometimes.

"I had this ready because I had a feeling you would announce it to me tonight," He ran his fingers along the flower vine and glanced at me before his smile was replaced by a concerned look, "Kroshka, are you crying?"

I blinked and realized that hot tears were raining down my cheeks faster than I could wipe them.

"I think it's all hitting me now. I didn't even get the chance to surprise you with Roscoe," I sniffled, letting him step forward and wipe my cheeks with his hands.

"I know," he said softly, "It hurt me to see the look on your face when your surprise was ruined, but I still love it, and I love his bandana too."

We both looked down at Roscoe, who was sniffing around the bassinet, the little red bandana attached to his neck like a superhero cape.

"Baby Security-In-Training," Alrik read out, chuckling softly, "This pup of ours is going to be smothered in love."

"They really will," I muttered, smiling as Roscoe rolled over onto his back like he was enjoying the attention.

Alrik wrapped his arms around me again and reeled me into his chest, "You have no idea how fucking excited I am. It has been so hard to contain myself and not scream it to the world that my Luna is pregnant."

"So you built a bassinet to let it out?"

He laughed, "Well, that was one way to extinguish my excitement. All those meetings I went to for the past week were not actually meetings. It was only me meeting with Aleksei so we could build this."

"Well, I adore it. It couldn't be more perfect."

"Are you sure about that? You didn't even look inside."

"Inside?" I frowned and stepped out of his hold to look into it.

There was a little black velvet box laying on top of a beautiful patchwork blanket.

This can't be what I think it is.

"Alrik?" I whispered, barely breathing.