Ella’s heart was racing a mile a minute, and the baby was becoming stressed, mirroring his mother's anxiety. I was worried, too. Ella is small, even for a human, and I'm large, even for a werewolf, but I didn't believe the Goddess would have chosen her to carry my heir if she couldn't handle it. I needed to calm her down quickly.

I began to purr, petting her sides with long, soothing strokes. "Easy, little one. It will be alright."

I could feel her nerves begin to settle, but her mind remained in turmoil. "Stop that!" she whimpered. "I don't want you to just soothe this away! I'm right to be afraid!"

"Of course you are," I crooned, continuing to purr. "Childbirth is always scary, and it always seems impossible—that's why it's a miracle. You're going to have the best doctors in the country. I promise you'll get through it."

"That's easy for you to say," she grumbled. "You don't have to push a watermelon out of your… well, you know! Oh god, what have you put inside me?"

"Well, technically, I didn't put it there," I reminded her, trying to lighten the mood.

"Sinclair, I'm serious!" she snapped. "I don't think I can do this!"

"Ella, look at me," I instructed gently. She shook her head, refusing, so I stopped caressing her long enough to catch her chin and lift her beautiful face to mine. "I'm going to take care of you," I promised. "If that means inducing labor a couple of weeks early or doing a cesarean, we will. We're not going to put your body through anything it can't handle."

Ella gradually submitted to my purrs, though I could tell she still wanted to fight. Keeping my little human calm and relaxed through this pregnancy was going to be even more difficult than I anticipated, but I wasn't disappointed. Spending more time snuggling and talking like this was enjoyable. Caring for Ella is in my nature as an Alpha, and I needed to provide this comfort as much as she needed to receive it, whether she realized it or not.

Ella sniffed sullenly, nestling into my warmth. "It really isn't fair that you can influence my emotions this way."

"I know," I commiserated, glad she couldn't see my smile. The stubborn little thing clearly wasn't used to having help solving her problems, and I'm sure she wasn't comfortable giving anyone else that power. I didn't tell her how much influence she had over my own feelings, however. The more time passed, the more I realized how much my mood depended on Ella's contentment—something I hadn't experienced with anyone but my mate.

With Lydia, it was very different. My wolf was never settled unless hers was—and she fully expected me to manage her emotions for her, making every complaint loudly and dramatically. Ella is a very different creature, hiding her upsets most of the time and never expecting or wanting me to fix them, yet my wolf seemed even more unhappy when she was unsettled than he was with Lydia.

My mind swirled with the implications. My heightened attunement and concern for Ella, because she carried my heir, perfectly explained my wolf's heightened state. This connection likely explained why only my purrs soothed Ella. The instructor had gone silent—clearly experienced in guiding couples through childbirth and expecting panic attacks like Ella's.

My sweet human wasn't the only first-time mother in the room insisting the task ahead was impossible, and I wasn't the only mate purring. However, when I stopped to test whether the other men's purrs soothed Ella, her heart rate increased, proving she only responded to mine.

"It's the pup," I told my wolf, who was strutting around with masculine pride in my head. "It has to be the pup."

That night, I woke alone in bed.

At first, I wasn't sure what woke me. It wasn't until I realized my arms were empty and reached for Ella that I understood she was missing. I sat up, instantly alert. She wasn't in the room, and the bathroom was dark and empty. I jumped out of bed, scenting the air. I didn't smell an intruder or sense anything amiss—not that I would. If anyone got close enough to snatch her from my arms, they certainly wouldn't have left me alive.

I followed Ella's intoxicating fragrance out the door and down the stairs, my wolf gradually calming as we neared the kitchen. She must have woken with a craving and decided to sneak a late-night snack.

I paused to listen at the door, the familiar aroma of bacon filling my senses. A moment later, I pushed inside, finding Ella at the stovetop in the dim light. I flipped on the light, and she leaped, yelping in surprise.

"It's alright, sweetheart, it's only me," I promised, approaching to wrap my arm around her.

She instinctively backed away, clearly not realizing I only wanted to hold her, but I caught her hand before she could escape and pulled her close. "Did you get hungry?"

Ella nodded, flushing. "I didn't want to wake you."

I offered a stern expression. "I want you to wake me when you get up in the middle of the night," I told her, "whether it's to satisfy a craving or to feed the baby when it arrives."

Ella blinked, and I wondered if she expected us to sleep apart after delivery. "But you can't help me nurse. Why would you get up, too?"

I rolled my eyes. "Because we're in this together. If you have to wake up ten times a night, then I should, too."

"You say that now," Ella snorted. "We'll see if you're still singing that tune in a few months."

"I'm serious, Ella. I don't want to miss a moment of this experience. I've waited for it a very long time. Besides, I might not be able to give the baby milk, but I can support you while you do," I reasoned, giving her no ground.

Ella narrowed her eyes. "Are all shifter men like you? Or all Alphas? I guarantee you human men aren't."

I furrowed my brow, thinking for a moment. "I don't know—honestly. And I really don't care what anyone else does. This is how we're going to do it."

"And what if I don't want you to get up with me?" Ella challenged, a devious glint in her eye. "What if I want to let you sleep, or to steal alone time with the baby?"

I chuckled, pleased to see she was comfortable enough with me to indulge her mischief. "Just try it and see what happens," I teased back. "Now," I continued, looking over her head at the frying bacon, "what's on the menu tonight?"

"Bacon," she answered, avoiding my gaze.

"And?" I pressed, knowing her cravings were never so simple. "Covered in chocolate," she murmured, flushing. I waited, sensing more to the story. Ella didn't disappoint. "Dipped in guacamole and hot sauce."

I couldn't withhold my chuckle, and Ella looked up at me with wide eyes. "You think I'm gross, don't you?"

If only she knew how wrong she was. "Of course not—I think you're pregnant," I answered, nudging her toward a bar stool. "Now you sit here and relax, beautiful. I'll take care of the food." I was pleased to see Ella no longer flinched when I mentioned her beauty. She obviously still disliked it when others did, but now, instead of seeming uncomfortable or annoyed, she blushed when I complimented her.

I easily finished preparing her snack. The bacon was almost done, and the chocolate was already melted. I patted the bacon dry, let it cool, cut the strips in half, and dipped them in the ganache. I laid them out on a plate, added a spoonful of guacamole in the center, and drizzled it with hot sauce. I placed the plate in front of Ella, who gazed at it in amazement. "I was just going to eat it out of the tub like a heathen."

I threw my head back and laughed. "I would probably have done the same." I watched her take the first bite, moaning with pleasure as her lashes fluttered shut. However odd it may seem, it's what the baby wanted, and Ella loved it.

I started on the dishes while Ella indulged, pausing only to try a bite myself. It wasn't as gross as I thought—but it definitely didn't delight me the way it did my little human. When I placed the last dish in the drying rack, I turned back to Ella, only to find her sniffling pitifully.

"Ella, what's wrong?" I exclaimed, shocked by her heightened emotion.

She shook her head. "It's nothing, I'm being silly." "Tell me right now, Ella," I ordered.