Chapter 56

HUDSON

"Hudson, we don't even know how far along I am. So stop babying me!"

I chuckled to myself and turned around to face my beautiful mate, who seemed very annoyed, even though I didn't know why.

All I was doing was cooking, cleaning,.........and basically doing everything for her.

She sipped the herbal tea I had made her and gave me a glare as I raised my eyebrow in amusement.

"Something wrong, beautiful?" I asked, putting my knife down.

She growled under her breath and stomped her foot, "Don't you have anything else to do? You're an Alpha. Don't you have paperwork to finish or people to call?"

I shook my head, "Not to worry, I woke up at four this morning so I could finish early."

"You've just thought of everything, haven't you?" She huffed, laying her head on the island.

I kissed the top of her head, "You and our pup are my top priority. I don't want you straining yourself or getting hurt somehow. You're very delicate right now."

She gave me a deadly glare.

"And moody," I added, turning around so I wouldn't have to see her stare daggers.

Even though I had only found out she was pregnant yesterday, I could already feel my overprotective Alpha instincts kick in. My wolf was extremely pleased with the idea of a pup, but he was also worried. He didn't want anything to go wrong and if that meant wrapping Alexis up in several layers of bubble wrap, then so be it.

The back door opened, and Boston and Matthew stepped into the kitchen carrying bouquets of roses and little gift bags.

"Special delivery for the Luna," Boston said, his voice muffled by the flowers pressed against his face.

A large smile formed on Alexis's face as they dropped the presents in front of her.

The pack had found out about the pregnancy shortly after the stork incident, and they started dropping cards and flowers at our doorstep to congratulate us. It made me happy to know that my pack was just as overjoyed as were about the pup. After all, he or she was destined to be the next Alpha.

"It's so sweet of them to send us these things," Alexis gushed gratefully, opening each envelope carefully and 'aw'ing at the little messages in them.

"Have you guys talked to Dr. Shay about an ultrasound?" Matthew asked, grabbing a glass of water.

I nodded, "She said we could have it done today afternoon. We'll be going after lunch. "

"Well, you better hurry up. Your mom is going to want to frame those ultrasound pictures after she nearly fainted," Boston chuckled.

FLASHBACK

Matthew seemed to be shocked by the announcement because he kept pressing the teddy bear's paw over and over again. Boston, on the other hand, was very quiet as if he had found out his own mate was pregnant.

Suddenly, I heard a woman's voice calling my name.

I frowned and watched my mother rush up to us, panting heavily, "Hudson, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? You should tell us. You ran up here like the pack was on fire or something," I stated, rubbing her back comfortingly.

She shook her head and nodded at Boston, "He mind linked me saying that I should come up here as fast as possible."

I turned to glare at Boston, who looked sheepish, "Really?"

He shrugged, "She was bound to find out soon."

"Find out what?" My mom asked excitedly.

"Dear, let them speak. You're getting excited for no reason," my dad's voice of reason interrupted.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Lewis, be quiet. I want to know–"

"You're going to be a daddy!"

My mom paused and stared at Matthew, "You got Lacey pregnant?"

"What?" Matthew asked, snapping out of his daze to stare at my mom in horror, "I don't even want pups right now."

"What do you mean 'right now'? You better be taking responsibility for that pup, Matthew Alexander–"

"Mom."

"It takes two to tango, Matthew. So you better not abandon Lacey or I'll find you and cut–"

"Mom!" I said loudly, finally grabbing her attention.

"What?" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air, "Can't you see I'm trying to knock some sense into–"

She trailed off as she noticed me placing my hand on Alexis's stomach. Alexis and I muffled our laughter as my mother's face paled. She covered her mouth with a shaky hand and sat down on the porch steps slowly.

My father grinned like a mad man and quickly embraced Alexis, "It's about time. I was wondering if I was going to die before seeing my grandpup."

I rolled my eyes and patted his back when he hugged me, and just as he pulled away, my mother stood up quickly.

"Oh my goodness!"

Clearly, everything had finally clicked in my mother's head.

END OF FLASHBACK

"To think she thought Lacey was pregnant," Boston snorted with laughter.

Matthew growled at him, "Be quiet. Lacey and I have already talked about pups. We just want to wait a little longer."

"Well, whatever you do, I call being godmother," Alexis chimed in, giving Matthew a sweet smile.

He groaned and banged his head against the cabinet a few times. They continued to crack jokes at Matthew's expense until Boston stood up and patted his watch, "I've got to go now. I have a date with Gracie."

Matthew stood up as well, "I've got to get to training. The incoming pack warriors look promising, Hudson."

I nodded in approval, "That's good. It never hurts to have some new blood."

The two of them left and I turned back around to face Alexis, "And speaking of new blood, you better eat quickly so we can see what our pup looks like."

She raised an eyebrow and chewed a celery stick half-heartedly, "I don't know what you're expecting to see. Our pup is probably the size of a bean."

"That's still something," I muttered, kissing her cheek, "Now eat the salad. It's healthy and good for the pup."

She grumbled and picked up the fork, stabbing the lettuce with great vigor.

***

"Alpha. Luna. Are you ready to see how your pup is doing?" Dr. Shay asked, pulling some gloves on.

Alexis squeezed my hand gently, trying to contain herself, but it was clear that two of us were extremely anxious. I pressed my lips to her hand as the doctor rubbed some gel on her womb.

"Alright, let's see what we have here," Dr. Shay muttered, clicking some things on her computer and moving the wand around.

Both of our breaths hitched at the sight of the little round shape that appeared on the screen. The thought that the small little thing would grow bigger and look like the mini version of us was enthralling.

This little being was a product of our love for each other, and it took my breath away just to think about it– to know that we were able to create something so mesmerizing.

"Now," Dr. Shay said, "for human babies, you have to wait until you're at least six weeks pregnant to hear the heartbeat. But since this is a pup, you will be able to hear the heartbeat at four weeks."

She moved the wand a little more and a faint thumping filled the silent room.

My chest suddenly felt very warm as the thumping became louder and overwhelmed my brain. It was like music to my ears.

Alexis squeezed my hand tighter and gave me a sweet, tearful smile that warmed my heart even more. I leaned down and kissed her softly, "I love you, beautiful."

I moved down to her stomach and kissed the part of the skin that was not covered with gel, "And I love you too, pup."