Alpha Markus and Celeste
Chapter 71
Chapter 71 – Celeste
Celeste P.O.V.
“Why do they call it morning sickness if it happens all f*****g day?” I grumbled as I brushed my teeth for like the 5th time today.
It had been a week since we’d returned from the Blood Moon Pack with all the girls and we were still trying to find the best way to help them settle in. We ended up putting some bunk beds in the second floor rooms as the girls were having nightmares and had trouble
sleeping alone. The first night, we found a group of them in one bed after Maya didn’t find them in their rooms. We started with two bunk beds per room and we hoped, as the girls became more comfortable and felt safe, they would request their own room.
Dr Castle had stayed in the Packhouse the first few days as we got his house ready. They had moved out yesterday into their
permanent lodgings. He seemed to get along well with Dr. West. They had evaluated the girls and put them in the proper regimen to get them in better health. The nurses had set up a couple of classes for them to learn about their first shift and what finding your mates
meant and how the bond worked. They would be beginning individual therapy sessions next week. Some of the teachers from school had
come over last night to give them all some exams to see how to best approach catching them up to their age group.
It was exhausting work but rewarding. Maya and I had been extremely busy. I had not yet managed to sneak a cooking night in. It all would have been a lot more pleasant if it wasn’t for the nausea. With the girls all eating micro meals, a lot of snacking took place all over
the Packhouse and I was assaulted by random smells that had me running to the closest bathroom each time. Dr West and Dr Castles
both insisted on fussing over me. I was constantly pulled to do some test or another so they could keep track of the pups’ growth. They
made me weight myself every second day since they both wanted me to be at least 10lbs heavier to make sure I could carry the pups to
full term, but how am I supposed to gain weight when I throw up at everything?
Evergreen was here for the first 4 days installing the new security software and hardware and at first, the girls were scared, thinking it was to keep them in. I had to explain everything that happened to Ruby and with Sandra for them to see that we were doing it for them and, if we’re being honest, because Markus was at an all-time high level of protectiveness.
Gabriel or Zack were always glued to my side when Markus wasn’t. It was starting to really annoy me. I wasn’t even leaving the Pack
grounds right now. We’d had a fight last night about it and even though I put in what I thought was a compelling argument and sent him
to the couch, I’d woken up alone this morning and could hear Zack outside the door. I had been on my way to the office when someone
I looked at my phone and realized I now didn’t have time to go argue, as I had yet another appointment with Dr West for another ultrasound. I walked into the appointment room to find Markus already there. I tried to glare at him as much as I could but it just made
me notice how good he looked in his rugby shirt and blue jeans.
Mate shouldn’t look this good when we’re mad at them. It’s playing dirty – Kara half grumbled, half purred. She was just as annoyed with their antics as I was. I had a sneaking suspicion that part of it was the hormones, but no, I was right in this. Markus sighed at the glare we gave him and stood up. Walking to me and bending down to kiss me. I turned my head and gave him my cheek. He growled lightly but pressed his forehead against mine. I could feel his hurt through the bond and I sighed, moving my face around and giving his lips a quick peck.
“That was barely a kiss but I’ll take it,” he pouted, looking into my eyes. “I don’t like fighting with you, but I’m not removing the
guards until I know you’re safe,” he said, standing back up.
“But I am safe,” I argued again, “Alpha Geoff, Luna Luisa, everyone that has ever hurt me are with the council, getting sentenced,” I
said, and then I saw it. That look that I had not seen from Markus before. Guilt. He was hiding something from me. It was only there for a
split second but it had definitely been there. “What is it? What aren’t you telling me, Markus?” I asked. He looked away.
I was about to push the issue when Dr West entered the room and began asking questions. He took a blood sample and weighed me
before he had me lay down for the ultrasound. I was only about 5 weeks along, but as werewolf pregnancies were only 5 months as
opposed to 10, they were concerned that with my previous history with malnutrition, health issues would flare up as not one but two pups tried to pull the nutrients from my body to grow. The ultrasound monitor came on and we waited until we heard the heart beats..
off the monitor. He’d yet to miss one of these appointments. Al! I could feel through the bond was love and admiration right now.
“It looks like everything is looking good, Luna. Your weight still needs some work. I recommend you eat more high-calorie snacks
and meals. Are you still missing meals?” He asked. I shook my head.
“Like anyone would let me skip anything,” I joked, “I’m surrounded by a dozen over protective mother hens.”
“Good. Keep this up and once we get past the 2 month mark, we should be able to relax a little more. I’ll let you clean up. If anything
abnormal comes up in the blood test, I’ll let you know,” he said as he left the room. Markus got up and grabbed some tissue to clean my
stomach.
“We have a conversation pending. You’re not getting out of it,” I reminded him.
“Nothing is going on Tuli, I am just worried about you,” he said, but this time I was looking for it. Paying attention to the bond. He was lying. I saw him get a mind link and I felt a ping of fear and anger before he shut me out of his feelings. “I gotta go, I need to meet
Gillian,” he said, handing me the tissue.
I got angry and took them from him. “f**k you Markus,” I growled as pulled down my shirt, “At least when I shut you out, it wasn’t
on purpose,” I said and walked out of the meeting room, leaving him standing there shocked at my words.
I walked towards the Packhouse. I heard someone walking behind me and I thought maybe it was Markus, but it wasn’t. It was
Gabriel. I felt the pang of pain in my heart that Markus wasn’t trying to reconcile. I reached the Packhouse when I finally felt the pull of his
mind link but ignored it and shut him out of the mate bond too.
‘Maya, can/sleep in one of the guest rooms on your floor?’
I mind linked her.
‘Yes, what’s wrong?’ she asked.
‘Nothing. Thank you,’ said and cut off the mind link.
I went into the Packhouse and checked on Lacey. She was still in a healing sleep, I had tried to help her healing along when we set her up in the room but hadn’t been able to. Richard was supposed to arrive tomorrow to join the pack and check on her. I looked into the