Chapter 204

Chapter 54: Theo I stopped by the office to put the plans in the safe before heading back to the apartment. The last thing I wanted was for Ayla to stumble across them. It had been hard keeping the secret from her, but it would be worth it.

“Hey, babe,” I called as I entered the apartment. “I’m home.”

Something felt different. I paused for a moment, trying to gauge the feeling, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t place it as good or bad, just different, which was strange in itself.

“Ayla?”

She wasn’t in the kitchen or the living room. I could sense her close by, and she said she was home when I messaged her a little while ago. It was later than I had expected, so I figured she may have gone to bed already. However, she would usually wait up for me. She hadn’t been thrilled when I told her I would be out late again that evening. Was she mad at me?

I went to the bedroom, but she wasn’t there, either. I heard a thump and a muf fled curse. My brow furrowed. I looked down the hall and saw the door to one of the spare rooms ajar. I opened it to find chaos. There were boxes sca ttered around the floor.

Everything had been removed from the surfaces of the furniture and packed away. Every frame was taken down from the walls and tucked into the boxes. The sheets had been stripped from the bed, and Ayla was currently trying to move one of the nightstands.

“What in the world are you doing?” I asked amusedly.

She jumped slightly. She must have really been focused and hadn’t noticed me come in.

“Oh, good, Theo,” she said, waving me over. “Come help me move this.”

Kieran was bouncing in anticipation. Ayla had been having weird mood swings lately, and he had been overly sensitive to them.

Tonight, I could definitely tell he knew something was up.

“And where am I moving it to?” I replied as I closed the distance.

“The other spare room for now,” she indicated. “I’ll have some pack members come and move them out tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I said slowly. “But why? You said you liked how Mom decorated the place and didn’t want to change it.”

Ayla’s attention finally settled on me. I hadn’t realized she had been partially blocking our connection until she opened up, and I nearly fell to my knees from the strength of her emotions. I reached out and held her face, holding her gaze as she worked to tell me whatever it was she needed to.

“Well...” she began, “I believe pups prefer a crib to a bed and maybe some brighter colors.”

I froze. Did she mean...? Was she...?

“Ayla, are you...?” I stammered. “Are we having...?”

She nodded, tears welling in her eyes. My lips slammed into hers. Joyous laughter bubbled up as I tasted her. I lifted her off the ground, wrapping her legs around my waist as I carried her to our bedroom. She tugged at my clothes, her arousal filling my senses as we fell onto the blankets. We were undressed in record time, and she moaned happily as I slid into her entrance.

I paused, still buried to the hilt, as I gazed down at my perfect mate. I calmed myself from my frenzied state before I gently rocked in and out of her. I kissed along her skin, savoring the feel of it against mine. I worshipped her glorious body as I worked to bring her as much pleasure as she had given me.

I felt her tighten firmly around me, demanding my release as she cried my name. I fell onto the mattress, panting as I held her tightly against me.

“I love you, Ayla,” I said. “I love you more than words can say. You have made me happier than I ever deserved.”

She giggled against my chest. “I love you, too, Theo. And you deserve every ounce of joy I can give you.”

I pulled the blankets up over us, tucking us in as I looked down at Ayla’s beautiful face again. I trailed my knuckles along her cheek, weaving my fingers through her hair before trailing them down her neck. I paused for a moment to trace her mark before my hand made its way to rest on her belly. I slid down the bed, kissing her stomach.

“And you’re sure?” I asked.

She laughed. “After five pregnancy tests, yeah,” she said. “I’ m pretty sure.”

Her fingers combed through my hair as my head lay on her abdomen. I inhaled deeply, breathing in her scent in that perfect moment.

Goddess, she was so f**king perfect.

Images of what our pup would look like, whether they would be a boy or girl, and all the things we would do with them were circling through my mind when Ayla finally spoke again.

“And you’re sure you still want this?” she asked quietly.

My head snapped up in utter confusion. “Why wouldn’t I want this, Ayla?”

She sighed, avoiding my eyes. “You’ve been gone a lot lately, and...’

“Baby, stop,” I interrupted.

I moved back up the bed to face her. Could she really believe that I had been out late because I didn’t want to be with her? Now that I knew she was pregnant, it explained her mood swings and attachment lately. I knew her hormones were messing with her, but could she convince herself I didn’t want her anymore? That I didn’t want children with her anymore?

“I’ve wanted this more than anything since the moment I came to my f**king senses and accepted you, Ayla,” I said firmly. “You, and now our pup, are everything to me, baby. My entire world. Do you understand me?”

She nodded with a smile. I kissed her deeply and passionately, enforcing my words.

“Get some sleep,” I whispered. “I want to take you somewhere in the morning.”

It was time I showed her my secret.