Chapter Text
Pip looked at the test in her hands.
She had anywhere between two week and 4 hours to actually, honestly surprise Greyson. Depending on how far along she was.
Pregnant… she was pregnant.
How long until Greyson could smell the chemical and hormonal changes in her body? How long until her erratic behavior tipped him off? Considering that the smell of POPCORN this morning had made her nauseous… she wouldn’t have two weeks before he thought she was dying or expecting their own baby.
She had at least until he came home from Magiford tonight.
Pip always thought it unfair that Greyson would be the one to tell her she was pregnant, it went against the joy of the hundreds of pregnancy reveal video’s she’d seen.
With a grin, she left the bathroom and scooped Prince up into an impromptu dance, this was going to be good.
Four Hours and Twenty-Six Minutes Later
Greyson settled a moment, waiting for his senses to catch up from his trip from Magiford, to the Night Realm and then home in seconds.
Rolling his shoulders he set out to find his mate, she was up to something, and she didn’t want to share. Shouldn’t she know by now that hiding something from the mate bond only made him want to know even more? Her emotions had flared brightly before she sealed him off. Not even relenting a little when he’d poked their bond. Was she settling a fight with Air Hockey again? After the last incident with Young Jack and Rio, air hockey had been banned.
Stepping into the lodge, Greyson wasn’t prepared for the terrified pack members blocking the stairs.
Areic, Wyatt, Rio, Young Jack and Clancy faced him off.
“What is this?” He unwound a bit of his Alpha powers. They said nothing but paled.
He waited, content to wait this out, until he felt a bit of glee from his bond and the sensation of Pip moving further away.
“Move.”
“You… You can’t go upstairs, Alpha… Sir, Sorry, Sir” Jack warbled.
“I can’t??” Greyson asked a playful threat.
“Pip said…” Wyatt gasped out before covering his mouth.
His mate moved farther away and Greyson grinned, he loved to play chase.
With a glance to the front door, he dismissed the idea of chasing her that way. It wouldn’t be very sporting to use the shortcut. His Pip had obviously put some work into this, he’d play by her rules for now.
With a grin he pushed his powers onto the unfortunate wolves, stepping over and around their frozen forms before sprinting up the stairs. Opening his office he idly eased his power back. The window was open, the tree rustling in the breeze. The same tree she used to sneak into his office weekly before they cemented their bond. Pip was romantic like that.
Hopping from the window, he patted the tree fondly. Leaping from the lowest branch and smelling her roses and steel scent.
Where to next? He shifted, then ran, howling for the joy of the chase.
He followed her through the forest, by her old cabin and around the tree that she hid in during pack games and finally to the glade where they celebrated their first pack run, humans, wolves and hunters. There lay a bright green box, balloons bobbing on the box lid.
Sniffing and prancing around, he skirted the box. It smelled of plastic, paper, metal and Pip.
His wife was near, her joy seeping through the bond though she tried to stifle it. Sniffing the air, Greyson debated skipping the box and going straight to his Lady Hunter.
Sensing the game of chase was about to be a game of catch, Greyson chose to humor his wife, though he privately admitted he was curious.
Curiosity killed the cat... but he was a wolf.
Greyson shifted then approached the box, kneeling down to open the lid. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, food, a toy, popcorn, a new movie to watch together maybe?
Instead, he tilted his head, trying to understand his prize. It was a tiny stuffed Plush Wolf from the gift shop and a tiny, dull dagger, no bigger than his thumb.
There was a crackle and a yellow ward formed around him, trapping him.
Holding the stuffed animal and dagger he turned around to face Pip. She was gloating. He tried to act offended, but really, Pip catching him was as thrilling as when he caught her.
“You cheated, Lady Hunter. Dragging along Scarlet and Radcliff for the trap makes this unfair.” He stepped so his toes touched the ward edge, only inches from his mate. His beaming mate.
“I wasn’t trying to play fair.” She flipped her white braid over her shoulder. “What do you think of your present?”
“It’s cute, let me out, Lady Hunter before I huff and I puff and I blow the house down.”
“Not yet. Tell me about them.”
“If this is a squeaky toy, you’re grounded.”
“Nope, just a baby wolf and a baby dagger.”
Greyson snorted. “Hate to break it to you, but the dagger is too small for you to use.”
“Who would be able to use it?” Pip postured the question.
He shrugged dismissively. “Only a baby could use…” He froze. Focusing on her face and shoving against the hunter trap spell and the block on their bond.
With a huge grin she lowered the trap and spoke through their bond. “A Baby.”
Then he had her in his arms. “A baby!”
“Our baby.”