Page 92 of Alpha Awakening
“There was so much about it on the internet that it was overwhelming,” Lyliann added.
“She’ll love whatever you’ve put together,” Blake reassured them quietly. “Thank you for doing it!”
“We loved it so much that we might make it tradition.”
“But on a smaller scale,” Ann laughed.
After a while, Niev fell asleep and everyone took that as a sign to let her get some rest. Gently, he picked her up and carried her to bed. Half asleep, she changed into her pajamas with his help and was back asleep before he could even return from the restroom.
Though she was fighting it, the twins’ fast growth was exhausting her. The weight of them and her body constantly changing was draining her, and not just physically. She loved Emlyn and Aruna very much, but she was ready to have her own body back. She never told him outright, but he could feel it in the bond. Sometimes small things that she was no longer able to do herself bothered her, like reaching the cabinet above or picking something up from the floor.
He hated that he couldn’t do anything to ease those feelings for her. She was sacrificing so much, and he could only stand by her side, helplessly watching her lose her independence.
The next day, Blake only left Niev at home long enough to fetch a few papers from the office and make sure Charlotte and Raymond would be there for Niev’s big surprise in the afternoon. Charlotte promised to be there and also wanted to make sure that Fallon, Kira, and Viviane would accompany her.
Niev was close by all morning. He’d set up his work on the coffee table so she could lay on the couch and rest up while still being able to touch him as he sat in front of her on the floor. His wolf appreciated it too, and Blake could feel that Niev was close to her end of the pregnancy.
“We haven’t heard from Mayra and Lyliann all day,” Niev broke the silence after one of her naps.
“I’m sure they just want to give us space.”
“You mean me.”
“Yes.”
“I hope they aren’t upset.”
“I don’t think they are, but we can go check on them, if you like?”
She moved to stand up. “Yes please. Let me just get presentable and go to the toilet.”
“You always look presentable.”
“I think that’s the only thing I like about this pregnancy right now. No matter how horrendous I look, no one cares because growing these two makes everyone forgive me.”
When she was out of sight, Blake quickly texted Ann to let them know they were on their way. Blake was glad Niev had brought it up first because for the past thirty minutes, he’d tried to figure out a way to ask her without sounding suspicious. Not that Niev would’ve been suspicious–it was just him being nervous.
Supporting Niev by holding her arm, he walked her over to Ann’s house. He could feel her frustration and was glad that she was occupied with her own emotions rather than listening to his.
“I hope these two come soon,” she sighed. “I’m not sure how much longer I can tolerate all this slow waddling.”
“As soon as they are here and screaming at us, we might wish to return to this day.”
“Most likely,” she giggled as she climbed Ann’s stairs.
Blake held the door open and couldn’t help but grin as he saw all the decorations and everyone grinning back at him. Realizing what was going on, Niev’s emotions overwhelmed her and tears ran down her cheeks.
“A baby shower,” she whispered breathlessly as she looked at the decorations all over.
Blake wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. “Surprise.”
“Let her sit so she doesn’t collapse on us,” Ann laughed. She took Niev’s hand, pulling her to a comfy armchair.
“This is our first baby shower so please bear with us here,” Lyliann giggled. “We thought we could play some games first, so you can laugh at how bad we are.”
Niev beamed like the sun on a hot summer day. “You are amazing!”
Ann, Lyliann, and Mayra guided everyone through the games. First, they played a game to guess the size of Niev’s stomach. They handed out strings and everyone had to cut a length they believed was her stomach's diameter. Viviane won that game, which earned her a lavender bath bomb.