I'd always considered myself an observant man. As Alpha, I had to be—noticing the subtle shifts in pack dynamics, the hidden messages in diplomatic exchanges, the first whispers of trouble. Yet nothing had prepared me for the heightened awareness that came with Seraphina's pregnancy.
Today's parenting class had been... enlightening. Her panic attack about the size of werewolf babies hadn't surprised me—it was a valid concern—but my instinctive response had. The purring was something I hadn't done since comforting younger pack members as a teenager. With her, it had come naturally, an unconscious need to soothe her distress.
Now, as I lay in our bed watching her sleep, I found myself attuned to every small change in her. The slight furrow that would appear between her brows when she was uncomfortable. The way her hand would unconsciously move to protect her growing belly. The softer, fuller shape of her cheeks as pregnancy filled out her delicate features.
