Juniper’s POV:
It’s almost been a week since Hope’s funeral, and the house is slowly getting back its color, except for Hollis, who has been in mourning. Hiram and Holly have taken care of his activities as Alpha King while he undergoes active therapy to help him recover. He can’t even look at their son, and until today, the child has no name. I feel pity for the baby, but as someone who has lost someone I cared deeply for, I can also relate to his pain.
After the passing of my father, I almost couldn’t function for a long time.
“Can I speak to you for a moment, please?” Holly says to me, stopping me before I can make my way up the stairs.
I stop and give her a slight bow.
“Good morning, Luna Holly,” I try to be as formal as possible. I’m not trying to gain favor in her sight, but only accord her the respect she deserves because deep down, I know that if she weren’t Hiram’s mother, I might have said a few things to her.
She takes a deep breath, grabbing my right hand and covering it with her two hands. I look at her in shock and wonder what has changed.
“I want to apologize for the way I have treated you since you arrived. It’s just that Hiram has this behavior of never being grounded to family, and even when I heard you were his mate, I didn’t see any difference between you and other human girls,” she pauses. “But now I do. I have never seen him this happy, and he is so eager to help with the work around the house. I know you both have your lives to live, and you’ll leave eventually, but this is the best I have gotten of him, and it’s all because of you, Juniper.” Her gaze lingers for a while before I look away.
“Thank you,” I mutter. Then she withdraws her left hand from the top of my hand, placing it on my belly.
“I can’t wait to have my grandchild too, but I really worry about you. We will try everything possible to make sure you have a safe delivery. I know we tried a lot of things for Hope, but we will expand our efforts, and I believe you will have a safe delivery.” A smile spreads across my lips, and for some reason, I feel safer.
At that moment, Hiram makes his way down the stairs, coming to a halt at the sight of his mother and me.
“Did I miss something?” he asks, and Holly chuckles lightly.
“Yes. June and I are just having a little chat about you,” she says, and he stares at her with a straight face.
“It’s okay, Hiram. She is being supportive,” I say to him, and he walks up to me, planting a kiss on my lips.
“If you say so,” he replies, then he faces his mother.
“Not to spoil your fun, but I have decided June and I will leave today.” Both Holly and I glance at him in shock.
Holly’s brows crease slightly, and she shakes her head.
“I do not permit that. There is still a lot of work to do here, and besides, I am getting to bond with my soon-to-be daughter-in-law,” she says, and Hiram scoffs.
“We got married in Las Vegas a couple of months ago. Late August or early September. I’m just trying to make it formal because she deserves better, which is why I proposed.” Holly’s jaw falls open, and she tries hard to form a sentence.
“And you were going to tell me when?” she asks, and Hiram shrugs casually.
“When the tension had died down. Besides, if I were to stay back here, it would take a long time before we could have a Shadow Pelt traditional wedding. Everyone is still on edge, and Hollis will have an important role to play, but both of us know he isn’t fit for that yet, and I can’t wait that long.”
“Why?” his mother cuts in at once.
“Because Juniper has to be in school. She has missed two weeks plus of lectures just to be with me, and I cannot keep being selfish. Also, I could send her back, but that would be cruel to leave my pregnant wife in another world.”
Wife. That word stirs weird emotions in my belly. I am his wife. The thought of it scares and excites me at the same time.
“Why does she have to go to school?” Holly asks, and both Hiram and I stare at her. “I mean, we have everything she needs. She is in school to get a degree, which will give her a job in the future for survival, but if that is taken care of, then why should she be in school?” Her words begin to make sense to me, but Hiram clears the cloud of nonsense in my head at once.
“Because I want her to!”
“She will go to school pregnant?” Holly asks, and Hiram’s face contorts.
“Even I wouldn’t believe she is pregnant if I hadn’t heard it from her. Her belly is very much missing, plus she doesn’t have to suffer. I’ll have someone take her and bring her back to my house. All she has to do is sit pretty in class every day. Also, I have vast knowledge in her field, so I can teach her and help her study for her exams.”
It’s as though he has something to counter her every word.
“And how will she deliver an alpha baby without help?” This part scares me, and I look at Hiram as she asks.
“I have Alex there and a bunch of other witches, so we’ll figure something out,” he says casually, and his mother shakes her head.
“I will not let you kill my grandchild or its mother!”
“There is nothing you can do about it, Mum, because we are leaving,” Hiram says, then grabs my hand.