The room settled into silence again.
“We also have one other announcement,” Rush bellowed. “This is Emily. She is human. I know that may upset some of you, but she is under this pack’s protection from here on out. She helped your Luna and many other Lunas escape from a group of human hunters. Emily is to be treated with respect and dignity, along with any other humans that come into our protection. If you have a problem with her presence, you can discuss it with either your Luna or myself.”
“Emily has become a dear friend of mine,” I said, pulling her next to me. She bowed her head slightly to the pack. “She is one of the only reasons I am alive today and carrying the heir to this pack, and for that, I am eternally grateful.”
Many of the pack members were unperturbed by the announcement and nodded a greeting. Few grumbled or huffed, but no one was outright rude.
The only person who spoke up was Casey, who gracefully slid his chair back and approached us. Emily took a step behind me and shivered, the sensation sending a twitch of nervousness down my arms.
“Luna,” Casey said, gulping deeply.
“Casey,” I warned apprehensively.
His eyes were nervous. “Luna, would you mind stepping aside just for a moment?”
“Casey,” I said lowly.
“Luna.” His lip hitched a bit on the left side. “I mean no harm to your friend; I simply wanted to introduce myself to my mate.”
My eyes went wide, and I froze. Casey continued to stand anxiously in front of me, teetering back and forth on his heels. I sidestepped him and watched as he took one step forward and stretched his hand forward.
“Emily?” She nodded, clenching her teeth in fright. “I’m Casey, it’s lovely to meet you.”
Emily placed her hand on his, and he shook it slowly. My heart fluttered as Rush’s arms gently wove around my shoulders and clasped in front of me.
“Who do you think will pee themselves first?” Rush whispered huskily in my ear, watching as Emily and Casey stood shaking in front of each other. I swatted his arm lightly but then latched my hands onto his arms.
“I think it’s sweet,” I commented. I loved the way Casey stood in front of Emily, tilting his head down as Emily swayed on her feet. She looked over to me, and I nodded my head to her enthusiastically.
They continued to stand awkwardly in front of each other as I sat back down. I was surprised that after just two and a half weeks, my feet already ached from the baby. Female werewolf’s gestation only last thirteen weeks, about a third of the time it took female humans to give birth.
“Do you want to head to bed?” Rush asked from behind me. I nodded reluctantly, not wanting to leave the celebration, but Rush had gained a sixth sense if knowing when I was tired from the baby. He held his hand out as I stood up slowly, a hand on my belly instinctually.
Emily’s eyes bulged as we waved to her, leaving her with Casey.
It wasn’t long before we were dressed in our pajamas and lying in bed, a quiet movie on the television, the lights all dimmed.
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” I asked Rush, staring blankly at the ceiling.
“She’ll be fine,” he snorted. “Casey’s a good guy.”
“Yeah, but she’s human. Do you think she even feels the bond?”
He turned on his side, grabbed the side of my face, and kissed my cheek. “She will be fine. You can talk to her about everything in the morning.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I sighed, snuggling down next to him.
“Get some sleep, we’ve got a lot of work to do in the morning.”
I nodded and placed my head in the crease between his shoulder and the pillow, touching him but still comfortable. I didn’t notice that I had stayed awake longer than Rush until he began snoring lightly. I closed my eyes, a somber semblance of peace emanating in the softly lit room, but the only thing I could think of was what would happen in five days.
Morning Sickness
We gathered the Warriors, Guards, and the other able-bodied pack members in the afternoon the next day. We told them we received the information from an anonymous but reliable source. Many of the pack members who held non-Warrior positions insisted on fighting as well, if not only for backup.
Casey took the group of non-Warriors and completed drills and scenarios with them while Rush and Jonah continued to work with the Warriors and Guards.
Emily and I sat in lawn chairs in the field, watching over the groups of pack members. The small bump on my stomach had grown wildly over the last few days, and the only thing it demanded to be fed were dill pickles and pepperoni slices.
Emily adjusted her sunglasses as she looked at Casey. She tried to hide it, but I saw the subtle way she bit her lip and tapped her toes when Casey peeled his shirt off.
“How are you feeling over there, Em?” I teased.
Her hands slammed down hard on the armrests of the chair, her feet stopped moving, and she grunted. “I’m fine,” she whined. “Why do you keep asking me that?”
“Because you look like you’re going to run over there and mount him,” I said, laughing.
She shot me a glare and turned her chair away from Casey to face me. “I will not,” she refuted, slumping into her arm.
Rush ran drills with the Warrior groups, showing them specifically where they would be placed and when to attack. No one knew how many humans were coming in four days. We didn’t know what time they would be here, what sort of weapons they had, or if they would even wait five days to come.
The provisions
