Chapter 54
It's been a week since Trishanna left. Bradley had every lawyer he and his aunt knew pursuing through the document with a fine-tooth comb, searching for any clue or loophole that they could use. They were also going through the older werewolf law books and scripts to see if there was any light at the end of this very dark tunnel. What his friend said got through to him and right now Bradley was training like never before. His warriors were beyond exhausted, but they also refused to give up. Their Luna was in trouble, and they would willingly give their lives if this matter led to a war.
Sam lay on the ground after his third sparring session in a row. He breathed out and laughed. He remembered how much his Alpha used to complain about training when they were younger and now, he's turned into some kind of animal. Bradley looked at his Beta and wanted to know what could be so funny. Sam just shook his head. "I know that your father would've been so proud to see you now." Bradley smiled. He reminisced on all the tips and tricks his father taught him and chuckled. "Anything to get my mate back." With that said, he stretched out his hand and helped his friend to his feet for another sparring session.
At Bloodmoon, Trishanna tried to eat her breakfast without throwing it up. She wasn't sure if it was the stress of missing Bradley, but the baby was very anxious and so was she. On the third day, she felt so sick that she allowed the doctor James had brought in to finally examine her. Trishanna was afraid of anything happening to her pup, but so far it wasn't too bad. She forced herself to eat most of her toast and eggs. When she was finished, she nodded at the omega that was assigned to serve her to take her dishes away. With a roll of her eyes, she counted to five, and sure enough, there was a knock on the door. It opened and James peeped in. "How was your breakfast? Do you need anything?"
Trishanna shook her head. "I'm fine, thank you." Bile rose in her throat. She hated that she had to play nice with her captor, but she had no idea what he was up to. "Would you like to go for a walk with me?" James asked, again, just as he had every day since she was brought here. Trishanna usually said no, but she felt herself becoming stiff from being cooped up indoors all day. She nodded and turned to her closet to grab a jacket. It felt like it got colder, or maybe it was because she missed the warmth of her mate. Tears stung her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. It would do any good to break down, especially in front of James. He might act like he's changed, but she knew better.
He led her down the stairs and out the back door. His hand was on the small of her back and it took everything within her not to shudder in disgust. James on the other hand was over the moon. Of course, the first few days were strained, but now she is at least being civil towards him. He counted that as progress. As they walked, Trishanna realized that they were heading in the direction of the kitchen garden. She wondered what it looked like, with nobody to care for it, yet when they rounded the corner, she gasped in shock.
The kitchen garden was well-kept. The plants looked healthy, and it was even bigger. She could see that new herbs were planted and the ground was freshly molded. There was even a small greenhouse for the more tender plants and bags of manure and plant food were packed neatly to one side. She turned to James, a question in his eyes. James turned, a slight blush staining his cheeks. He cleared his throat. "I know how much your Rosie loved this garden and you took over. It just didn't make sense for all of your hard work to go to waste. Besides," his blush deepened, "I kind of hoped that this garden would feed you and our pup."
Trishanna was surprised. She didn't even think that James would have remembered the garden, much less care for it. She leaned down and stroked the tomato leaf gently. "Did you do this?", she asked quietly. James leaned his head back and laughed. "Oh heck no. I would have killed every last one of them. Roger is the one who started looking after it and it sort of grew from there. No pun intended." A small smile appeared on her lips and James' wolf howled at what they considered a leap in the right direction.
Days passed and James was happy and excited to show Trishanna all the changes that he made to the pack. They were in areas that Trishanna believed he never even noticed, however, it was very clear that he was noticing them and her now. He was kind, gentle, and even shy. The big, bad, playboy Alpha was like a little puppy, hoping to get adopted. These changes seemed to have calmed Trishanna and she didn't feel as afraid as before. It became normal for her to accompany him on walks or to spend time in the library, a place that was forbidden to her before.
Three weeks have passed, and they were having a picnic at the edge of the woods and the training grounds. It was opposite from Goldmoon's boundary, but that was a faint matter in the course of the lovely day. It was sunny, but the cool winds made it enjoyable. They had finished their turkey sandwiches followed by slices of cherry cheesecake. Laying back on the blanket, Trishanna rubbed her stomach. She was showing now and boy oh boy, this pup was active.
As she rubbed, she could feel the little one moving around, probably dancing in joy of getting cheesecake. She chuckled as he kicked and shook her head. The doctor had examined her every week and everything was going well. He insisted that she stay relaxed as much as possible and so Trishanna tried her best to adhere to the doctor's orders. The pup kicked again. Clearly, somebody was having a sugar rush. She giggled at her thoughts. James smiled at her, happy to see her happy.
She looked lovely in her summer dress. Just like a fairy. Her belly moved and she rubbed it again, talking to the pup. His pup. A longing to be connected like that surged through him and he shifted closer, glad that she no longer cringed at his presence. "What does it feel like?" he softly asked. Trishanna stared at him, not understanding. He nodded at her dancing stomach. "When the baby moves. What's it like?" She pondered for a minute and then smiled.
"It feels like a miracle." James smiled, but there was a touch of sadness to it. Trishanna raised up, placing a concerned hand on his arm. Looking into her eyes, it was the first time that he saw no hatred or resentment in them. His heart pounded and with the hope of a thousand years, he asked breathlessly, "Can I feel my pup?"