Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
And then she heard the man she loved, his heavy footfalls seeming overly loud this time. Everything in her tightened and she stood, staring at the door. A moment later the man she cared about more than anything else walked into their room, his face stern and hard, the enforcer in him always present. But when his eyes landed on her, his gaze softened, a small smile forming on his lips.
He only showed this part of himself to her, only let Greta see that underneath all of that hardness and steel, he was a gentle giant. But only for Greta.
Anyone else saw his wrath, his apathetic nature, has brutal fighting skills. He was a warrior, strong and determined, but he also loved justice as fiercely. And he loved her more than anything else. She knew that. She embraced that, and it gave her strength to know that things had to be okay. She just had to tell him what was going on, because they were a team, in this together, and she needed that support system right now.
She could see the moment Tolcan saw something was wrong just by her expression. He could probably sense it, smell my anxiety and worry. He physically reacted. His body tightened, seeming to grow bigger. She saw the way his muscles constricted under his skin, his face growing even harder.
He was in front of her a second later, his hands on her face, cupping her cheeks. “What’s wrong?” He searched her face with his eyes. “Did somebody hurt you? What’s wrong?” he asked again and she felt the need for him to make everything okay resonate within her.
She lifted her arms and placed her palms on his hands that still covered her face. She gave him a smile, or at least she hoped it was one that seemed less… frightened.
“You’re not okay. I can sense it. Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it, Greta.”
She could’ve laughed at how protective he was. That’s what she loved about him. That’s what she’d fallen for instinctually. That’s how she knew he’d be an incredible father.
Greta closed her eyes and tried not to freak out. She wasn’t going to prolong this. When she opened her eyes, she could see how he was trying to be gentle, to coax her to tell him what was wrong. And so she just did.
“I’m with child,” she said before she lost her nerve. “I’m carrying your baby, Tolcan.”
He didn’t show emotions very often, and all though he did let her in, she could see an array of them pass across his face.
Surprise.
Worry.
Love.
And then he dropped to his knees and pushed up her shirt. “Mine,” he whispered, his voice rough like sandpaper. He had his hands on her belly, and she felt the heat from his palm spearing to every part of her.
“I’m scared,” she whispered honestly.
He stood and pulled her in closely kissing the top of her head. “I know, but there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect you, and now even more so because of our unborn child.”
She closed her eyes and nodded. She knew he’d do whatever it took to keep them safe. She was a survivor, had been her entire life, but this was completely new territory. She’d be a mother, to a baby half-human and half-Rogue. Greta wasn’t afraid for herself, but her baby and what their life would be like, how much danger they’d be in because of how fucked up things were.
But she knew as long as she stayed strong and had Tolcan by her side, they could overcome anything. Look at what they’d done so far, look at how they’d survived everything? But who would have thought being a parent would have been the scariest thing she’d ever done? That had her smiling, because underneath that fear there were stronger emotions. Excitement and… hope.
The End.