An Emotional Morning

Zions' P.O.V.

After our announcement, people surrounded us, offering their congratulations and expressing their happiness for us. In the middle of thanking everyone, I look over, noticing Rain has become quiet and looks worried. I smile and finish thanking everyone on her behalf until everyone starts to dissipate.

"Are you okay, my love?" I ask Rain.

"Yes, Dosha has been asleep since the buffet, and I'm worried about her. She says she was tired." She answers, and I begin to worry.

"Do we need to call the Doctor?" I ask.

"I'm not in any pain, so I think it'll be okay to wait until the morning to call him," She says, and I nod in understanding.

"In that case, I think it's time for bed," I say, pointing at Jessica, now holding a sleeping Odett in her arms. "I guess all the excitement has finally gotten to her."

"I know how she feels." She says. I smile, lifting her in my arms, making her giggle, and carry her to our suite as she protests, which I ignore.

Once we arrive at our door, I put her down, turning to Jessica and Orian, who followed behind us. I take Odett from Jessica and thank her for carrying Odett for me. She nods before hugging Rain, and they walk to their suite. We walk into our suite, and I take Odett to her room and watch Rain tuck her into bed. I can't help but smile at the thought of her tucking three little ones into bed.

"I can't wait!" Ryker says. "But I'm worried about Dosha."

"I know. Rain is, too. Maybe it's a side effect of the pregnancy." I respond.

"Maybe, but we definitely need to talk to the Doctor about it in the morning." He says, and I agree. I feel Rains' hand on my forearm and notice that she's looking at me.

"You ready for bed?" I ask her, and she nods. We walk to our room, change into our loose clothes, and climb into bed.

"So, are you going to finally tell me what's going on with Sam and why you got irritated about Odett being so excited to see him?" She asks while laying her head on my chest.

"She is Sams' mate," I say, and she jerks her head up to look at me.

"How is that possible?" She asks in shock.

"I'm not sure. But Sam says he feels the sparks from the mate bond. He knows he can't tell her. He won't rob her of the excitement of discovering that bond for herself." I say. "He was full of excitement but nervous at the same time. He was worried about how you would react, so he kept it to himself until yesterday, after our mating ceremony."

"I know he is a good guy. And he's your Gamma. I'm not worried about Sam hurting her, but I would like to know how he could recognize her when she's so young." She says calmly. "As long as he knows he can't tell her, I don't mind him being around her. She's always happy when he's around, so there's clearly a bond there. I didn't think it was that kind of bond, though."

"I agree. I was shocked when Sam told me." I tell her. "I think we should also speak with someone from the vampire race tomorrow to see what their equivalent of a mate is and when they can sense them."

"What if they react the same way my grandfather did and shun her because she's a hybrid?" She asks.

"She's our daughter. If they choose to shun her, that's their loss, but she'll always have us and our kingdom. She is the Princess, after all." I say, rubbing circles on her back. When she doesn't say anything, I look down and realize she's asleep.

"I can't wait for more days like this," Ryker says.

"We have the rest of our lives together," I tell him, and he nods. After watching my perfect mate sleeping for a few more minutes, I close my eyes and fall asleep.

Early the next morning, I'm woken up by the sound of Rain throwing up in the bathroom. I quickly get up, rushing to her side and holding her hair back. I rub circles on the back of her neck and kiss her shoulder. When she's done, she leans on my chest. I wrap my arms around her, making her smile.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I ask her.

"It's so early. I wanted to let you sleep." She tells me.

"Don't suffer with this alone. We're a team in everything, including this. I may not be able to help you carry these pups, but I can support you in every other way." I tell her. "I love you and will always be here for you."

"I love you too." She says with a smile before standing up and brushing her teeth.

"Would you like some breakfast?" I ask her, and she nods. "Let's get dressed and go down to the kitchen. I'll make some eggs and bacon."

"Mhmmm, that sounds amazing." She says with a giggle as she walks out of the bathroom and into her walk-in closet.

While we get dressed, I link Orian, telling him to meet us in the kitchen after he's dressed, then Stephanie to let her know we will need her to watch Odett for a while this morning since we have the council meeting in a few hours and I still haven't shown Rain her new office.

"Ready to eat?" I ask her when she walks out of her closet. But she seems to be upset about something. "What's wrong, my love?"

"I might need to get new clothes soon." She says, almost in tears.

"Why? Are your clothes getting tight already?" I ask, walking over to her and wrapping my arms around her waist.

"Not yet." She replies as tears start to fall from her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" I ask, getting more worried.

"You bought me all these nice clothes, and now I won't be able to wear any of them. All of that money is wasted." She says, fully crying now, and I have to stifle a laugh.

"My Queen, the money isn't a problem, and you will be able to fit in them again after you give birth to our pups. And in the event that you won't be able to fit them afterward, we can always donate them to someone in need." I say, trying to make her feel better.

"Are you saying I will be fat?" She squeals through her tears, crying even harder now. Oh Goddess, what do I do?

"I think you just fucked up!" Ryker says.

"What do I say to fix this?" I ask him.

"Call Jessica." He says quickly. I link Orian and ask him to bring Jessica to our suite fast. Not even a minute later, she and Orian rush in, seeing Rain sitting on the floor, crying.

"What did you do to her?" She asks while glaring at me.

"She was upset about her clothes not being able to fit soon. I told her after she had the pups, she would be able to fit them again, and if she couldn't, we would donate them and get her new ones. Now she's crying, and I don't know what to do. Please help!" I say in one breath while panicking.

"Hormones going rapid already?" Orian links me.

"Please don't ever say that out loud. Rain may tear your head off." I reply.

"I promise I'm not that stupid." He says.

"I don't want to be fat." Rain cries.

"Sweetie, you won't be fat, I promise," Jessica says, wiping the tears from her cheek and calming her down.

After a few minutes, Rain has stopped crying, and she's now acting like nothing ever happened. I have no clue what's going on, but I hope that never happens again.

"I have a feeling that it's going to happen quite a bit," Ryker says, just as tense as I am.

"Are you okay now?" I ask Rain, she nods, and I help her off the floor and hear her stomach growl. "Do you want some breakfast?"

"I really want oatmeal." She says.

"I'll make you anything, my love," I tell her, making her smile again. "Stephanie will be here soon to get Odett, and we can go down to the kitchen."

"She's at the door." Rain says right before the knock at the door. Orian lets her in, and Rain smiles up at me.

"How did you know that?" I ask her. I couldn't smell or hear her before she knocked. Orian greets her and lets her know Odett is in her room.

"I'll get her up and ready. I have a full day planned with her and some of the other kids. If that's okay with her parents." Stephanie tells him as we walk into the living room. We tell her that it's fine but to take a guard with her. She nods and walks to Odett's room as I look at Rain for an answer.

"I heard her. Didn't you?" She asks, and I shake my head.

"Did either of you?" I ask Jessica and Orian, and they shake their heads, too.

"Maybe it's a new ability," Jessica says. "Your mom did say you would probably start slowly noticing them."

"Maybe it would be a good idea to start writing them down as you start noticing them," Orian suggests.

"That sounds like a good idea." Rain says as Odett and Stephanie walk into the living room, dressed and ready for their day.