Dark Moon

34

Ashton's POV:

Sage walks into the clearing holding a picnic basket, his belly much bigger than it was at our mating ceremony two months ago. A big part of me is irritated that he's outside and walking around without me to protect him, especially since he's obviously pregnant, but fighting with my stubborn mate is like arguing with a brick wall.

Besides, I know our pack is safe and I trust everyone here wholeheartedly and I know they'll keep an eye on their Alpha.

"Alright, everyone break for lunch!" Ronaldo calls, catching sight of Sage. "Thanks for helping, Ashton, but you can go back to the pack house and do your paperwork. Owen should be coming out to help me."

"You can call me back if he doesn't show up. Our little Owen has been pretty obsessive over his kids since Zach has his Beta duties."

Ronaldo chuckles. "Yeah, that's true."

About a month ago, on a run to check on Bay's pack, Zach and Owen adopted two pups, a boy and a girl. They're both three years old right now and they needed a home, and Bay was more than happy that Zach and Owen offered them that opportunity.

Since Zach has had a lot more responsibilities as the Beta, he's been in his office a lot of the day, letting the little ones run around, but they still want to do things and go out. So, Owen has been playing that role when Zach is working, often stepping away from training so he can get to know his new kids.

Sage absolutely adores the two, and he will hang out with them if Owen has an inescapable obligation, but the two are really dependent on their new daddies right now, even if Sage is someone they sort of like.

The two, both Omegas, were saved from a facility similar to the one I grew up in, so they're very shy and needy with their parents who they know will protect them. It took them about a week to accept Owen and Zach, which is really quick, but it just shows us that they were meant to be a little family.

"What're you doing out here, angel?" I ask Sage, kissing his lips softly. "I thought you were going to stay at the pack house..."

He scoffs and hands me the basket. "I made you food, mate," he says, emphasizing the 'mate' part of his sentence. "And we're going to eat out here because sitting in the pack house for days on end is so boring. Besides, Nolan walked me out here so you can't get annoyed."

"I'm not, I'm trying to not be an overprotective ass."

"I know, can't control instinctual feelings, but I'm proud you haven't given into them."

Him being proud of me is the greatest feeling.

Sage sits down on the grass and it takes everything me not to panic and make him sit down on my shirt so he doesn't sit on the wet grass. He pats the ground next to him and I sit down and reach over to touch his belly where my babies are slowly growing.

"What's for lunch?" I ask, not looking at the basket and instead focusing on his baby bump.

"Sandwiches, fruit, and a bottle of water so you don't pass out from dehydration."

I smile because I should have guessed this; Sage hates cooking so there's no way he'd be working over a stove for hours unless I really begged for it. However, the fact that he made me food means a lot to me because I know he probably grumbled about it the whole time.

"Thanks, baby," I say, kissing his lips once more before digging in. "Make sure you're eating, too. Make the babies chunky."

Sage laughs loudly, grabbing his belly. "Sure, just what I want. To carry even more weight with these little guys growing."