Revolting

William had insisted that my room be the first renovation project to complete. "Its too hard for you to climb up and down the stairs," he reasoned, and then he rubbed my belly fondly, "And we don't want to risk you falling and hurting our little Alpha." I rolled my eyes, and felt a little guilty that so much work was going into my personal space when the rest of the house so badly needed attention. But nothing was going to stop William once he put his mind to something. So in between working full time, practicing his dance routines, and teaching us the basics of mixed martial arts, William was in my room. When they tore up the old carpeting, they found that the original hardwood floors were beautifully intact. They just needed to be sanded down and refinished. The walls were gutted out, the electrical wiring updated, and a new, weatherproof window installed. At my request the new walls were painted a pale yellow color, and I chose bright colored accents, turquoise blue curtains and a jewel-toned area rug. We found a full sized bed frame at a thrift store, which the guys insisted on refinishing. When it came to a mattress, I did breakdown and buy a new one. There are some things that you just can't buy "used."

My friends worked so hard, and soon enough they were moving in my new bed, a dresser, and my mismatched baby-furnishings. The room still smelled faintly of new paint and the polish they had used on the floors, but I didn't mind. It was an amazing and precious gift to me. I cried and hugged them all. Gabe complained that hugging me was like trying to hug a basketball due to my growing baby belly.

I'm not going to lie though... I really missed sharing a bed with William. Not because of anything sexual, it just felt nice to be held by a warm human being who loved me and made me feel safe and protected. Although since he started his new job, he didn't crawl into bed until the wee hours of the morning, and even after a shower, he still smelled faintly of the bar, which wasn't exactly pleasant. But having my own room did not stop him from invading my space. He would come and lounge on my bed with me, and we would talk easily about random things.

He loved his job. During the day he still dressed in his preppy slacks and dress shirts, but at night he let himself experiment with different personalities. He had acquired a whole collection of bizarre and sexy underwear, which I referred to as "banana boats" because that's really all they covered. He had the opportunity to rub elbows with other men who shared his sexual preferences, and hinted that there was maybe there was a relationship brewing between himself and one of the waiters. "I don't even know what to do," he confessed sweetly. "I've never actually HAD a relationship."

I patted his cheek, but what advice could I possibly offer him? My relationships had ended in disaster. "Just be yourself, and let things unfold naturally." I said in a motherly tone. William was so wonderful, how could anyone NOT love him? I got the privilege of being his first audience and judge of all his new dance routines. Now come on, what girl wouldn't love to have a private dance from a sexy man nearly every day? I offered him my opinions and offered advice about what I thought was sexy, but I wasn't sure what women found sexy in a man would be equally erotic to another man. He did well though, he was making great money in tips and had collected a little following of "fans" that came to the club just especially to watch him perform.

That day he came and pounced on the bed next to me. I was sleeping a lot more these days. That basketball under my shirt seemed to be sucking away all my energy. "Morning, beautiful" he said cheerfully. Too cheerfully for a girl who was still half asleep.

"William," I grumbled, pushing my hair out of my face. "Its too early for you."

"I didn't have to work last night," he reminded me, "and its already past breakfast."

"Ugh," that's all I had to say.

"Well, anyway I have a report for you."

"Oh." I sat myself up with some difficulty and leaned back against the headboard. Once a week or so, William gave a report of anything interesting he had heard through the mind-link from his mother. He had told me that Nolan had settled down and was a "changed man", but I didn't believe it, and even if I HAD believed it, I wasn't interested. Whatever tattered shreds of the mating bond that had remained intact after my half of the rejection had faded into barely noticeable pangs of regret whenever thoughts of him cross my mind. There had been an alarming increase in hunter attacks in nearby territories. The hunters, it seemed were not working alone. They were bribing bands of rogues to join them. The rogues would attack and cause chaos, and the hunters would pick off the pack warriors. Although I had walked away from the pack, I was still concerned about their safety and well-being. At least Gold Mountain had Shane to lead the warriors. I was more worried about my dad, and his weakened, aging pack. I wasn't sure that Pelton would survive a well coordinated attack.

"What is it today?" I asked.

"I have a confession to make." William hung his head in a mock-guilty posture. He peeked at me from under his hair. "I.... told Mom about the baby." "What! William! How could you! You know she will tell Nolan!"

"I told her weeks ago, Nina. And no she has not, and she will not tell Nolan... although she's trying very hard to convince me that Nolan is a new man." I shook my head at him. I felt a little betrayed... I had trusted him with my secret. I loved Caydence too, but she was a mother before she was my mother-in-law. I didn't think she would be able to be completely impartial in the situation between Nolan and I.

"She was so lonely and so depressed, Nina. Finding out that she was going to be a grandmother... well it has reignited her soul. She's been so happy and excited. Every time she's asking for updates on your progress, and she desperately, desperately wants to be a part of the baby's life."

I sighed and looked at my hands. "I don't see how that's possible."

"Come on, its Mom. She loves you. And I know you love her. We could set up a meeting at a neutral place, just have lunch together..."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You two have been planning this for some time, haven't you?"

He grinned at me remorselessly. "Of course we have. Mom meets with the Lunas of other friendly packs all the time. Well not all the time, but like once a month or so. Nobody will suspect anything. She will have a driver take her to one place, alight, and then sneak off in a cab to meet us someplace else while the driver still thinks she's inside."

It sounded too simple to work. But if I was honest... I really wanted to see Caydence too. Not only Caydence, but my own family. I don't know, maybe it was the pregnancy hormones making me feel all sentimental. "Okay, but I want to see my dad and my sisters too. I want to visit my home."

Williams face dropped. "Oh Luna, you know that's far too dangerous. Nolan knows that you have connections to your family. He turned your father's pack upside down looking for you. I'm sure he's still watching it..."

"Now wait a minute." I crossed my arms over my breasts, which were quite tender these days, and at least a full cup-size larger. "You keep telling me that Nolan is a reformed sinner. If that's true, then why do I have to keep hiding?" The truth is that nobody really believed Nolan had changed that much. He might feel some sense of loss that I had broke the bond and left the pack. I think it is really his pride that was hurt, not his heart. I do not believe for one moment that he ever loved me. How could he? He never took the time to even know me. I lived with the man in one house for nearly a month, and he never even realized that I was lame. Maybe he was acting different, being more mature and responsible... but deep down I think he was still that spoiled boy who expected everything he wanted to be handed to him on a silver platter. And William thought so too, that is why he looked fearful and doubtful about the idea of visiting my father. But I was feeling less fearful... and a little more resentful. Should I have to hide from Nolan Pierceson for the rest of my life? In fact, since I had terminated our mating bond, I had been contemplating hiring a lawyer to terminate our legal marriage as well. I lifted my chin and stared at William defiantly. "If we visit your mom, we visit my dad."

William sighed. "Why are you so stubborn? Fine!"

"Good. You wrangle a few days off from the club, and make it soon." I rubbed my belly. "Pretty soon long car trips are going to be out of the question."