Mated to the Alpha: Volume 2

1

Ethan

I lean back in the car seat and pop the top button on my jeans. Too tight, it’s getting slightly uncomfortable to sit down in these jeans.

While you can’t really see any changes in my body just yet, I can feel I’ve gained some weight in the last ten weeks. Though I don’t know if it’s because of the baby or maybe also because Max keeps feeding me so much, I don’t know.

“Maybe you should have put on the sweats.” Max reaches out and weaves his fingers through mine.

I huff, letting out a hard puff of air, and glare at him. “You’ll never see me outside the house in sweats, not ever.”

“But—” Max starts but I stare him down.

“That was an exception. I didn’t have anything else to wear and I changed into something else as soon as possible.” I shudder as I remember the morning after I spent the first night at Max’s place.

It wasn’t like there was anything else at his house that fit me, so I didn’t have another choice but to wear his oversized sweats and shirt. And as soon as we met my friend Tim, and he gave me a bag with my own clothes, I changed into something better.

“Fine, fine.” Max pulls our hands up and kisses my fingers. “You looking forward to it?”

I can’t help the smile that breaks out on my face as I nod. “Yes. I can’t wait to see the baby.” I lean against him and Max wraps his arm around my shoulders.

It’s nice like this, I fit here exactly and when he surrounds me I feel so much better. I put my head on his chest, his steady and strong heart beats right next to my ear.

This will be the first time we’ll see or hear the baby. Of course, I’ve been sick regularly since the start and I know that my body shape has changed a little bit. But to actually see the baby, to know for certain everything is okay. It’s awesome and scary at the same time.

What if not everything is okay? What if something is wrong? What happens then?

“Ethan,” Max whispers my name into my hair, holding me tighter against him. “Everything will be fine. Everything will be well.”

“But what if it isn’t?” I can’t help the worry. So often things go wrong, even when people think everything is right, I’ve seen it with friends in the past.

“It will be. We have the best doctors and everything has been going according to schedule. Everything is fine.” He kisses the top of my head. “Or I’ll call Alexia again so she can yell at you.”

I groan and shake my head. “Please don’t.” Last night I was so worried that Max called Alexia and she talked to me about how everything was going to be okay. It’s not like I don’t believe them, but they don’t even let the worry that not everything might be right into their head. That makes me worry more, even if just to counteract them.

My phone beeps and when I pull it out I see a message from Alexia, almost like her ears burned. ‘I have a surprise for you when you leave the hospital, meet me at the mall. XX’ I show the message to Max who shakes his head, smiling.

“Uh-oh. You know that nothing good can come from that.” He looks out the window. “We’re nearly at the hospital.”

I sit up straighter and put the phone away, but not before I reply with a simple ‘okay’. I’ve been spending quite a lot of time with Alexia, not only because she is best friends with Max, but also because she is helping me out with the wedding and helping me adjust to my new life.

We’ve planned for the ceremony-slash-wedding, or wedding for short, to take place in five weeks. It won’t be in a church, but it will be in a really nice hotel hall, which is probably warmer and makes it easier to house the guests who have to travel further.

The suits are chosen, though mine isn’t fully finished yet as I might grow some inches in the waist before it starts. Luckily the suit is very forgiving and so much higher quality than the one I had previously, though it is purple again, a nod to how Max and I met.

I take a deep breath before I close the top button on my jeans again. Time to look presentable, time to face the world. Although Max promised me that we’d take a secret elevator, for special guests who had to be able to come and go quietly, I still think that looking as normal as possible is the best right now.

“We’re here,” Max says as the car darkens and we drive into the underground parking.