Zions' P.O.V.
After Rain announced our pregnancy to our crew by saying it was morning sickness, the ladies got it automatically, while the guys were confused. Ryker thought their confusion was hysterical. I plainly explained that we were pregnant to the guys, and they finally got it. Unfortunately, we hadn't thought about how Odett would feel about it.
"What's wrong, sweetie?" I ask her as I pick her up, and we sit on the couch.
"Does this mean you'll send me back to the orphanage now that y'all have your own baby?" She says, almost whispering. I feel like an absolute failure for not thinking about how she would feel and quickly think of what to say to make her understand that she's ours.
"No! You are our child. The new pup won't change that you are part of our family. We're just giving you a sibling." I try to explain.
"You were the one who made me a mother and Zion, a father, regardless of whether you are our biological child or not. You're still our little princess. And you're not going anywhere, sweetie." Rain says, making her eyes light up, and she smiles.
"You promise?" She asks us.
"Always and Forever, baby girl!" Rain says, making Jessica and Odett giggle simultaneously.
"We are a family. That will never change, and there's no way we could ever replace you." I tell her.
"Are you hoping for a little brother or a little sister?" Jessica asks her.
"Brother! I want a brother. Oh, or maybe a sister so I can play with her hair." She says with big, bright eyes full of wonder and excitement.
"How did we get so lucky?" Ryker asks me.
"I have no clue, but we'll thank the Goddess' for the rest of our life," I tell him, and he agrees. I hear Rains' stomach growl and look at her with a smile. "Looks like mamma wolf is ready to eat."
"Well, I did just empty my stomach." She says with a laugh before looking at Odett and then at everyone else. "For now, we need to keep this just between us. At least until after I go to the hospital to see the doctor and get a few more tests done."
They all nod in understanding. I turn to Lady Ezmerelda, telling her that the doctor needs to speak with her to get more insight into how Rains' pregnancy might go. I told her they could use my office. She nods before turning to the doctor, and they make their way to my office.
"Will you still be up for movie night?" I ask Rain.
"Of course, it's not like I'll be doing strenuous activities." She says with a laugh. "But now I'm concerned about training."
"We might have to postpone it till after you give birth," I say, and she pouts.
"I'll still be training, right?" Jessica asks.
"Yes, if you are comfortable with training without Rain," I answer her.
"Well, now I need training to protect three or more." She says with a laugh. Rain jerks her head up to look at me.
"I think she just realized she could have more than one pup at a time." Ryker cackles in my head. Judging by the panic in her eyes, I have to agree with him.
"What's wrong, my love?" I ask.
"I could have more than one pup in my belly?" She asks, and I nod.
"Holy Hell!" She whispers, making everyone laugh.
We talk a bit about training and getting an extra nanny so we don't take Stephanie away from Odett while we wait for her mom and Doctor Jameson to finish their conversation. Mia sends me a mind link, letting me know that everything is ready for the buffet to start. I tell her that we'll all be down soon. When Doctor Jameson and Lady Ezmerelda come out of my office, they seem to be in good spirits about their conversation. I stand up from the couch, asking if everyone is ready to eat. Everyone nods as I hear Rains' stomach growl again at the mention of food, so we leave our suite and head to the banquet hall.
"Don't forget to show Rain her new office at some point." Orian links me. How could I have forgotten about that?
"Thanks for reminding me. I guess it just slipped my mind with the excitement of the good news." I link him back with a laugh.
"That's what I'm here for." He says with a knowing smile.
"Will you be able to handle training your mate?" I ask him.
"Sure thing. Although, I have a feeling Jessica could take me down even without any training," he replies. "She's just a natural."
"It's understandable. Jessicas' parents were esteemed warriors in her previous pack, and they had trained her before their untimely demise," I say, and he nods in agreement.
When we make it to the banquet hall, I signal one of the warriors to ring the dinner bell, letting everyone know it's time to eat. I also let Mia and Annie know we won't be drinking any champagne tonight. I asked Rain what she would like to drink, and she said she would take water, and we walk through the buffet, fixing our plates and a plate for Odett.
After we sit down to eat, I notice most of Rain's plate is full of salty and savory food with the occasional sweet treats here and there. I make a mental note of what she looks like she enjoys eating the most so that I know what to get for her midnight cravings that I'm sure will come soon. Every once in a while, a guest comes to our table to congratulate us, and Rain gets nervous, thinking that everyone already knows about the pregnancy.
"It's okay, my love. No one knows about it yet." I link her. "Don't be so nervous."
"I can't help it. I thought I was emotional about the crowning ceremony this morning, but now I think it was the hormones." She links me back, and I laugh.
"I think so too. I guess that's something we'll have to get used to for a while." I say, and she agrees.
Once we're done eating, I let Orian know that we are going to sneak out to see the doctor. He says he'll handle everything, and if anyone asks for us, he'll tell him we're busy practicing. I laugh louder than I mean to, making Rain look at me questionably. I tell her what Orian said, and she giggles. "I think it's safe to say we're past practicing." She says. We asked Odett if she would like to go with us, but she chose to stay with Stephanie and her friends from the orphanage. We let her know that we will be back soon and give her a kiss before we leave.
We walk to the front door and see that my Jeep is waiting on us. I walk her to the passenger side, helping her into the seat before I walk back around and get in the driver seat, heading for the hospital. When we arrive, we are greeted by Doctor Jamesons' nurse. She walks us to the V.I.P. suite, where the doctor is waiting for us.
"Nice to see you, my Queen." He says with a smile as he motions to the bed in the room. "We're going to do a sonogram to check the heartbeat."
"Okay." Rain says as she walks to the bed. I help her climb up and lay down on her back as the doctor rolls the machine over to the bed. He pulls out a squeeze bottle of gel before squirting some onto her belly and placing some kind of paddle in it, gliding it around her belly until we hear what sounds like heartbeats, and my breath hitches. The doctor, who has been looking at the screen on the machine, gives a light-hearted laugh.
"Everything okay, Doctor?" I ask, and he nods.
"It looks like you're expecting twins." He says, looking between me and Rain.
"Holy Hell." She says, making him laugh again.
"Are you sure?" I ask him. He turns the screen around to show us the two small blimps. It looks like small beans.
"This is pup one." He says while pointing to one before pointing at the second one. "And this is pup two."
"Holy Hell," Ryker and I say in unison.
"The heartbeats are strong. And they look to be growing on track with a normal wolf pup." He says. "I'll need you to come into the hospital in about a week for your next checkup to be sure, but I think you should expect a five-month pregnancy."
"Thank you, doctor," I say, and he nods with a smile on his face.
"I'll print these off for you. I can also make a CD for you of the video and audio together if you would like." He says.
"Yes, please." Rain says, now smiling at the fact that we're having twins.
"Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes with both." He says after cleaning the gel off of Rains' belly. He walks out of the room, and I help Rain sit up on the edge of the bed.