The Hidden Luna Queen 2

It was an unexpected move, but not unwanted in the slightest. I couldn't get enough of the wonderful sensation of his body so close to mine.

This close, I was overwhelmed with the crisp, cool scent of his body wash. Like pine and clean lakesides and everything beautiful about nature. His dark, luscious hair, still dripping with water, clung to his skin most attractively, making my throat run dry. It shouldn't be possible for an alpha as handsome and wonderful as he to seem so smitten by me... but here he was, giving me everything I felt like I didn't deserve. He was nothing but genuine with me, though. I could admit that maybe he wasn't lying about his feelings for me, but no matter how much I tried to suppress it, part of me clung to the notion that he would one day tire of me.

That it would only be a matter of time before he decided he had enough and would find someone better... someone more worthwhile. Someone who was not broken beyond repair.

"I can't believe how lucky I am," Xaden suddenly whispered against my neck. I felt him press kiss after kiss, dotting my skin with his lips at his leisure. There was a tenderness to his touch that took my breath away. "Where's this coming from...?" I asked quietly, not daring to break the delicate intimacy of the moment.

"It's just... not everyone has the choice of mating for lo-* he'd begun to say before he suddenly stopped himself. I saw an uncharacteristic blush speckle on his face, faint but unmistakable. "Well... you know. For something as special as what we have. I'm just gratefu is all."

I'd never seen him look so shy before. The sight made my heart swell.

I let my arms settle around him, savoring the warmth of his body. It was far from our first hug or cuddle together, but every time we touched, something inside me burst with wholehearted contentment.

It was dangerous to bond so quickly with someone who had been a stranger a mere month ago. And with someone as feared and revered as Xaden, at that. Not for the first time, I found myself in awe of the living juxtaposition he was. Fearsome and harsh, the alpha prince was... but the man I lived with was kind and thoughtful.

And I was falling for both sides of him, hopelessly and unapologetically. Everything he had to offer, I wanted it all and more.

Before long, his watch beeped, breaking the lovely silence that settled around us. He let out an exasperated groan.

"I wish I could stay here a little longer..." he murmured, tightening his hold around me, "but I have some work I need to get done."

My heart lurched. I wasn't ready to leave his side yet...

"Are you going back to the palace?" I asked, unable to help myself.

He shook his head, pulling away a little to be able to look at me." Everything I need to do can be done from my study today. I have no plans to leave the grounds again for the rest of the day," he said, brushing his fingers delicately across my back to the sides of my ribcage, tickling me with his gentle touch.

"Can I come with you?" The question left my mouth before I could

process what had happened, leaving him a little startled. My face grew hot, thinking I was perhaps overstepping some sort of boundary.

I'd never seen him at work, after all. Maybe there were things he did as part of his royal duties that I wasn't allowed to listen in on.

"It's okay," I quickly tried to amend myself. "I-I don't have to-"

"That would be lovely."

The words died in my mouth as I took in the smile that lifted his face, making the butterflies in my stomach flutter. "Really?" I asked, feeling light with growing giddiness. "I can come?"

"Of course. I'd love nothing more than to have you with me. I just don't want you to get bored, is all. Between all the paperwork and phone calls I have to do, I won't have a lot of time to spend with you," he said, looking a little guilty.

He's so adorable, I couldn't help but think.

I shook my head as I nuzzled my head against his shoulder. "Don't worry about me," I insisted. "I can find a way to pass the time." I felt my blush deepen, saying this out loud. "I... I just want to be with you."

This close, I could feel his heart pound against his chest.

"If you keep saying things like that, I won't be able to get any work done," Xaden muttered, pressing a lingering kiss to the top of my head before gently ushering me off his lap. "Why don't you find something to keep you occupied and then meet me back in my office? I'll set everything up for us to sit on the couch together."

I agreed, already having a plan in mind. And with that, we dispersed.

Feeling excited, I ran off in the direction of the bedroom. This would be a good opportunity to catch up on reading that pregnancy book I started some time ago. This was my first baby, and I was eager for answers.

Everything seemed to be progressing quickly. Even the doctors I'd seen made notes of it.

MAEVE POV

I didn't get it.

I spent the last hour-maybe more-reading chapter after chapter in this pregnancy book, while Xaden busied himself with a pile of paperwork and a few phone calls to several dignitaries, but nothing I read bore any similarities to what I was experiencing. Fetal weight gain was not unheard of. Sizing nearly twice as much as he should have within the first month, however, was apparently an alien concept. Such weight gain didn't normally happen until much later in the pregnancy.

If I were to base my findings off this book, my pregnancy appeared to be an anomaly.

What did that mean for my baby...?

"Is something wrong?"

The sudden sound of his voice addressing me for the first time in what felt like hours caught me by surprise. "What?" I asked, lowering my book to my lap.

"You've been frowning at that book for the last ten minutes," he

commented, gazing at me thoughtfully. "What could be written on those pages to cause such a face?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. I hadn't realized he was paying such close attention to me. "It's... it's just that I got this book hoping that it would help give some answers about my pregnancy. But nothing's adding up. It's like one big mystery." "What does it matter if you can't find answers in some book?"

My frown deepened ever so slightly. "It matters a lot-to me, at least," I admitted. "It's one of my only chances to get any sort of answers."

He pressed his lips together, looking contemplative, before moving to adjust himself in his seat. "If there's anything I've learned from my mother's experience carrying my younger siblings, it's that not every pregnancy is going to be the same. You shouldn't compare what you're going through to what you read, nor to what you hear from others."

I agreed silently, yet begrudgingly. I supposed that was fair.

"Of course," he added, sounding smug, "that's not to mention that we are quite an exceptional pair of expecting parents, after all."

I glanced up at him, and all I saw was the sincerity that I had come to associate with him. Xaden, without a doubt, fit that bill, but me...? What could I possibly offer that was so special?

"We are?" I couldn't help but ask.

Ever the confident alpha, he nodded. "Of course," he answered as a matter of factly and, not for the first time, I wished I had even a sliver of his faith. "How many parents in the world can say they belong to alpha royalty,” he said, sounding rather self-assured before gazing at me with warmth, "and that they are as exquisitely courageous and charming as you?"

Heat arose over my cheeks. His perception of me always seemed to be higher than that of my own. I still couldn't quite understand how.

Vaguely, I wondered if it was possible that our being 'fated mates' had any impact whatsoever on the powerful growth of our baby. However outlandish the idea was, it made sense to me, in a strange, helpless sort of way. Nothing else I'd read or heard could definitively explain what was going on.

That being said... the entire notion of 'fated mates' was really just that. A fantasy. At this point, all I could do was speculate, which did not help me.

I sank into the couch. This baby certainly liked to make things interesting

"Perhaps," he began to say, looking deep in thought, "we should consider arranging regular visits with a doctor."

Against my better judgment, the suggestion made my stomach twist with anxiety. "Do you think there's a chance something's wrong?"

"Not at all. I just think it could be beneficial to us both to chart the pregnancy and ensure that everything is progressing as it should. You're already almost one month along by this point," he said, which inspired the corners of my lips to twitch upwards. It was so simple, and was really the most basic of information that he should know as the father of my child, but still... it warmed my heart to know that he cared enough to keep track. Asking for so little from my own father would have been practically unspeakable. In all of my twenty years, he never cared enough to remember my birthday or how old I was. Meanwhile, my baby was less than a month along, and Xaden was already a better father than mine ever was.

"Not to mention," he continued, "it would be interesting to know what to expect from the coming months."

That was not a bad idea, I had to admit.

As a very young and inexperienced mother-to-be, I had no idea what I was doing, nor what I should be doing. It wasn't like there was anyone to educate me when I was younger about the birds and the bees, least of all how to successfully navigate motherhood. Victoria certainly never gave me the time of day to have such talks with me, despite being the only mother figure I had.

Everything I had ever learned, I learned from either eavesdropping on Sarah's private lessons, or from...

Wait.

And then it hit me. I wasn't really as ignorant as I thought!

The proof came in the weight of a small pink book that rested atop my lap. After all, what had I just been doing mere minutes ago, if not immersing myself inside a book designed for that very purpose? Although it didn't supply me with all the answers I'd hoped for, it was able to tell me what to expect in the coming months.