Phoenix Maplewood It's all part of a grander plan

Being in a good mood was rare nowadays and she had to wonder if it was healthy to be so stressed out all the time. She reflected on that as the pain abated, but no sooner did Esaro stumble onto the scene, distracting her from her thoughts. She lifted her head to watch his approach, noting his injuries and the hint of a limp, but he asked a question before she could demand to know what was wrong with him.

"Yes," she answered in a voice that was ever-so-slighly strained, though unlike everyone else in the pack, her ire was not toward Esaro. She'd already forgotten his opinion from before they sent Aaron's pack away. "As well as I can be," she responded without realizing he was unaware of her condition. By now it was obvious, not only from the changes in her body and temperament but in the very smell of her, that she was pregnant.

"The hell happened to you?" she wondered aloud, her gaze once more going to his foot.