Entangled

Chapter 15

"We need to tell Hunter."

Becky's voice is soft, barely audible over the radio, but it still jars Seth out of his reverie. Luckily traffic is still light and years of driving—plus quick werewolf reflexes—helps him keep the SUV safely in their lane. Sasha reaches over too, letting her hand linger on his for a moment until his breathing evens out. "Hunter? Why?" It hasn't even been an hour since he found out he is going to be a father, and he still hasn't absorbed it fully. It's too new, too precious to share, at least not with someone who's not family or a close friend.

Sasha squeezes his hand before leaning back in her seat and grabbing a cookie. In addition to the tea she brewed for Becky, Mina had also made a batch of chocolate chip cookies, so fresh the chips are still warm and melty. Becky's already finished off a whole layer from the tin, which she's holding hostage on her lap. "Becky can't wrestle when she's pregnant, Seth. It's too dangerous. If she's not even supposed to shift after this full moon...."

They all fall quiet for a moment. If Sasha hadn't noticed that movement, how long would it have been until Becky figured it out on her own? What would have happened to the baby if she shifted when she shouldn't have? No one really wants to consider it, but every possible what-if scenario is screaming through their heads at top speed. "I know that," Seth says quickly. "I know. I just... I mean, we only just found out. Our families don't even know yet—" He stops suddenly when he glances in the rear-view mirror and sees Becky's grip on the tin tighten. "I just don't want Hunter to be the first person we tell," he finishes awkwardly.

"I don't either," Becky agrees, "but... if we don't say something right away, they could book me in a match and...."

"Listen. I don't think any of this is really happening the way any of us would like." Sasha's voice is firm, even sharp at times, but somehow still gentle. "But we have to worry about safety first. I mean, you could call your mom right now, Becks, but that's not really a conversation you want to rush, is it? You don't either, Seth."

Becky shakes her head vehemently. "Not with an Irish mother, you don't." Then she sighs, drumming her fingers lightly on the cookie tin. "I guess it's not like she doesn't already have a good idea of what's going on. I called her when you guys went to get me the pregnancy test and I was texting with cousins, so... really, they're more waiting for confirmation than anything."

It's a small solace and Seth wishes things were different, but even he realizes that the conversation they need to have with Hunter is best done in person. As strict as Hunter can be, he wouldn't attack a pregnant woman. No, Seth thinks grimly, taking a deep breath as they enter the hotel's parking lot, he'll just take it out on ME. After they park, he scans the lot and swears softly when he notes that Hunter's rental is still there. "Can we at least wait to tell Roman?" he asks. "Hunter's going to be bad enough...."

"How far along are you going to say you are?" Sasha asks as she steps out of the SUV. "It's going to look suspicious if you say you're four weeks pregnant and then give birth in three months."

"Shit." Becky hugs the tin to her belly as she gets out of the SUV and rubs her face with her free hand. Without a word, Sasha leans in to grab the tea Mina made her. "What if I say... three months? That's still feasible, right? Athletic women miss periods all the time."

Her eyes are bright with panic, and Seth quickly shuts off the engine and locks the SB, hugging Becky as soon as he's outside. "Less is more. Don't offer information if you don't have to. Say you just did a home test and it came up positive. Mina didn't give a super-specific timeline, right?" When Becky shakes her head, Seth nods. "Exactly. So it's not really a lie."

Sasha shoots him a sharp look, but Seth is too frantic to care. He's already worried that the baby could be hurt somehow, whether from Becky wrestling or shifting or having sex; he can't spare too much sympathy for Hunter's disrupted plans. "Let's go," Sasha says at last. "Maybe we'll catch him right as he's leaving and he won't have time for drama."