Ileus: The Dark Prince

Kaizan had stalled his visit to the Whiteclaw pack for another two days. Right now, he was sitting on a bar stool with Ileus to share his tension.

The wolf was so tense that he had forgotten to shave. There were dark circles under his eyes because he hadn't slept for two days all the while looking at her tummy and thinking who was more potent—he or she? And why was it that his kid wanted to come out in the world so soon? Couldn't he or she wait for another year? He had loved kids, but suddenly he realized that loved the kids of others. When it came to him, he was in a panic mode. What kind of a father would he make? While Olivia looked forward to it, his mind was blank. He must have scolded himself a hundred times for knocking up his wife so carelessly. 

Ileus gritted his teeth as he rubbed his neck. He gulped his wine down and chided Kaizan, "You should have taken a stronger contraceptive! Haven't you learnt anything from me?" 

"I took it a day before and was sure it would work, but then when I was—" he shook his head and lowered his voice, "When she seduced me, I lost all my sense of the world. And before I came back to my senses, I had shot my seeds in her and—" he rubbed his hand over his face. Gods, that was a crazy release. 

The she-wolf instincts were very strong. Olivia had sensed the change in her and it was more of her instincts that screamed that she was pregnant. 

"But it is too early to determine it," Ileus said from his own experience. 

"Maybe…" They both looked at Olivia and found that… she was beaming. 

"I think she is loving that she is pregnant," Ileus remarked.

She was. As Anastasia talked about her first pregnancy and gave her more tips excitedly, she looked like she was barely able to contain her grin. 

Ever since Ookashi had heard about the pregnancy, along with Nate she had gone to the healer to get a schedule for her for the month as to what she had to eat and what to avoid. Since Olivia was going on a journey, that added to her worries. And this was the reason why they weren't in the house. 

"If you don't want to vomit what you've eaten, stick to what you love to eat. Don't venture into things that you hate and are forced to eat."

Olivia nodded vehemently. Since morning she had vomited twice and Kaizan had tried to postpone their visit to the Whiteclaw pack a dozen times. He couldn't even think of the danger that lurked there and at the same time, he was stunned how things escalated from his wedding three weeks back to getting his wife pregnant. 

When Ileus gazed at his promised wolf, he narrowed his eyes. "But you have always wanted to have children. And I remember that you wanted at least half a dozen." 

Kaizan didn't reply to him and continued to stare at his wife. 

"For God's sake! Stop staring at her like that," Ileus said. "Now that we are in this situation, we will handle it!" 

Kaizan turned his face dazed to look at Ileus Volkov, who he clearly remembered was too panicky when he heard that Anastasia was pregnant. Who was this man? "Handle this situation? And how do you handle it?" 

"Did you suggest that she can—" 

"I did and she growled ferociously at me." He remembered the conversation between them:

"Kaizan, I can't believe that I am pregnant! Can you imagine what this means? This babe would seal the deal between our packs. This is what my parents wanted and look at your parents. They are so excited."

"But baby, there is too much tension at the rogue-front. There are people who are going to hunt you down if they come to hear about your pregnancy." 

Her fangs had lengthened and her lips peeled back. "You think it is so easy to take away something that belongs to me." She placed her hand on her tummy protectively. 

Kaizan knew that the conversation was over. 

"Great," Ileus remarked. He filled more wine in their flutes and watched the two girls talk more. He patted Kaizan on his thigh and said, "Don't worry. We can handle it." He grinned and raised his flute when Anastasia looked at him. "Ah! I love it when she steals a glance at me. Trust me when Darla hears about this, she is going to go mad!" 

Protectiveness cruised through his body for his mate and his child, once again. The feeling had been heightening with every passing second. "We have to get rid of the rebels as soon as possible," he growled. 

"That reminds me—what's the news on that front? I heard that a new rebel leader has come up and is managing the rogues pretty well." 

Kaizan nodded. "That's why I am weary of traversing the trade path with Olivia." 

"I will ask some witches and wizards to join your cavalcade," Ileus said. 

"Even with them, I would be very uncomfortable letting Olivia out of my sight even for a minute." Not that his mate couldn't be a ferocious warrior, but his worries were over the top. A babe… He scratched his day-old stubble with his hand. His instincts to protect her and be by her side went a notch higher. 

"When are you leaving?"

"We will start tomorrow morning," he replied. It had been a very difficult two days of holding his wife in the capital. 

When Anastasia regaled her with tales of her pregnancy and how Ileus reacted to it, Olivia wrinkled her nose and laughed. Gods, could she look any prettier? He continued to stare at her features, continued to read and memorize every line of her contours for the thousandth time. He sighed and finally broke his gaze away from her only to find that Ileus was staring at his wife. 

"When I look at her—"

"You forget to breathe?" Ileus tilted his head. "I never knew our lives would turn upside down but to think of it, our lives have... streamlined.

Kaizan turned back to gaze at his mate. 

Ileus and Anastasia left after lunch. Olivia saw them at the door and when she was coming back, she yawned like a sweet little kitten. Kaizan walked up to her, scooped her in his arms and climbed up the stairs. "My wee little mate is sleepy?" 

She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her face on his chest. "Mhmm…" She inhaled his fire and masculine scent and closed her eyes. 

"Why don't we call your parents here, Olivia?" he asked. 

"Kaizan, stop showing that you are so vulnerable to the enemy," she said in a lazy voice. "And we have already discussed it, so skip it, wolf!" He gathered her closer and walked to their bedroom. 

--- 

For a week, Tasha had hunted for Lucas in the Whiteclaw pack. She found the bastard sitting in the den of the rebels. She grabbed his collar and growled, "It is time you go back to the dungeons, Lucas!" 

His eyes flew wide open and he tried to flee, but Tasha shoved him on the ground furiously.. He fell on the feet of the rebel leader.