Shadows of the Moon (Black Wolf Agency Book 2) (14 page)

“Great, go ahead and take it now, honey.” He was a bit worried himself. He didn’t know what to think of this sudden surprise. Of course he was looking forward to having children with Selene, but they weren’t expecting one this soon. ‘
Calm down,
’ he told himself. ‘
It’s probably a fluke. It’ll be negative, and all this worrying will have been for nothing.
’

Selene came out of the bathroom and plopped down on the couch. By the look on her face, Marcus could tell she didn’t have an answer yet.

“We’ll have to wait a couple minutes to make sure it’s definitely accurate. I didn’t even check it yet. I’m afraid to look.”

Marcus slid closer to her on the couch and placed his hand on her thigh, rubbing it gently. “I’ll look in a couple minutes.”

She smiled at him a little and said, “Thank you.”

Two excruciatingly long minutes went by. Marcus went into the bathroom and looked at the test, a little confused. “What does it mean when there are two lines on the display?”

Within a second, Selene showed up at the door, grabbing it from him just to verify the result with her own two eyes. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe him. She just couldn’t believe what was happening. “It means I’m pregnant.” She couldn’t help her next reaction to the news. She turned away from him and started to cry as she made her way back to the couch.

“Aww, baby, don’t be upset.” He sat down next to her again.

She looked up at him, her eyes red and slightly puffy. “I’m scared, Marcus. I don’t know if I’m ready for this yet.”

“Me, either, to be honest. But we’ll get through this together, just like everything else we’ve been through so far. You’ve survived two attacks from a killer werewolf, fought one without getting a single scratch, and then killed the other one by throwing him off a cliff, nearly dying in the process. Those are things that no human has ever done in their entire lifetime. However, humans have babies every day.”

Selene thought about what he said for a moment and smiled. “You always have a way of cheering me up.”

“I try.” He smiled, gently pulling her into his arms, holding her close to comfort her.

Yes, Selene was still terrified, but at least she knew she wasn’t alone. Even though she could tell Marcus was scared too, she knew they would be there for each other through all of this. They were engaged now, and planning to get married soon. They had also decided earlier that they wanted children. Why not have one sooner than later? The baby was coming whether they were prepared for it or not.

*A Month Later*

It was the night before Marcus and Selene’s wedding. Selene didn’t want to have much of a bachelorette party. Since she and her Maid of Honor, Kate were both pregnant, they couldn’t drink, so Selene just had the girls from
Black Wolf Agency
over for a little while for some food and non-alcoholic drinks.

The day after Selene found out she was pregnant; she went to Kate with the news. Kate offered her some helpful advice and support. Since then, they had become close friends and talked or visited with each other on a daily basis. She showed Selene pictures from her wedding, and after seeing Selene’s excited reaction, Kate helped make the preparations so they could have their wedding in the same place. Marcus was thrilled with the idea as well.

Selene wasn’t so sure about having a bachelorette party, and at first, there was an awkward silence in the room once everyone had arrived and sat down. Thanks to Kate, that didn’t last long.

“So, how’s the sex? We want juicy details,” said Kate, grinning.

“No, we don’t!” said Yvonne, laughing as she pretended to plug her ears.

“Oh, yes, we do!” said Lin, laughing at Kate’s question. “It’s good apparently.”

“Sure is,” said Selene, blushing, catching what Lin was hinting at. “Does anyone know if normal birth control methods even work for werewolves? I suppose we should have been more careful.”

“Um, actually,” Yvonne, began. She couldn’t believe she was about to tell them this. “I’m on the pill now. At first, Lucius and I tried condoms and they didn’t work at all. We have discovered there are many ways to destroy them. They also tend to disintegrate before we’re even done. I have no idea whether or not the pill will work on a werewolf. But let’s just go with no for the condoms.”

“Ah, ha! Good to know,” said Selene, feeling a bit better.

“Personally, I didn’t even think about the possibility of getting pregnant,” said Kate. “I had been a vampire so long; I put that thought out of my mind a long time ago.”

“Vampires are infertile?” asked Selene.

“Yes, I suppose no beating heart meant no babies.”

“That makes sense.” Lin chuckled. “So, what’s it like with that handsome man of yours? I bet he really knows how to please a lady in bed.”

“I don’t need to hear this!” said Yvonne; she turned beat red, trying to hold back her laughter.

“It’s mind-blowing, Lin,” answered Selene, deciding to go into details to torture Yvonne. She liked Yvonne a lot, but thought it would be funny to see her reaction to her story. “He knows probably every position you could imagine.”

“I’m not listening!” said Yvonne.

“And, not only does he have the goods, but he
definitely
knows how to use them.”

“T.M.I.!” squeaked Yvonne.

“And he can go
all… night… long
.”

“He can?” asked Yvonne, totally changing her reaction to the conversation.

“Sure can.” Selene giggled, blushing a lot.

“Yes, they can and it is quite enjoyable. It’s one of the many things I love about James,” said Kate.

“So can Lucius. It must be a werewolf thing, huh?”

“Oh, now
that’s
T.M.I.!” said Lin, clapping her hands over her ears as she started to hum.

“It’s okay for you guys to share your sex life, but it’s not okay for me to share mine?” asked Yvonne, kidding with her as she pulled Lin’s hands away from her ears.

“Just kidding,” said Lin, slapping Yvonne’s arm playfully.

“Okay, who wants to play Naughty Thoughts?” asked Kate, grinning as she took out a board game and setting it on the table.

“That sounds like fun!” said Yvonne.

“Sure does,” said Lin.

“Let’s go for it,” Selene added, breaking open the board game.

At first, she dreaded the thought of a bachelorette party, especially without being able to drink alcohol, but thanks to her friends, it was turning out to be a great night.

The next day, Selene stood before the full sized mirror, staring at her reflection. She was wearing the most beautiful wedding dress she had ever seen; it was white and long, coming down to her ankles, and it hugged her body, showing off her curves. She stared at her belly and placed her hand on it delicately. It was flat for now, but in just a few months, she would have a baby bump. She smiled at the thought. Looking up at her reflection again, she admired the nice job Kate had done with her hair. She wore it down and the normal waves in her hair had gentle curls at the ends.

It was hard for her to believe she was wearing a wedding dress. She had dreamt of this moment her whole life. She remembered dressing up as a bride when she was a little girl. Her parents had bought her a white dress and veil to play in, so she could act out her wedding. She smiled at the memory. She wished her parents were still alive to see her dream finally come true. Being an only child, her parents spoiled her and loved her to death. When she had lost them in that boating accident, it seemed like her whole world had fallen apart. She shed a couple tears thinking about them and how much she missed them.

“Don’t cry, honey,” said Kate, hugging her.

“I’m just sad my parents aren’t here to see me get married. And they won’t get to meet their grandchild, either.”

“It’s okay. I’m here for you. We’re all here for you. My parents were long gone when James and I had our wedding. It comforts me to think they were still there, though, smiling down on us.”

Selene looked at her and smiled. “Me, too. Even if they’re not here in person, they’re with me in spirit.”

Kate took a moment to check over Selene’s makeup and look her over really good. Then she asked, “Are you ready to get married?”

“More than ever.” Selene smiled, taking her friend’s hand and walking out to the car.

It was a gorgeous day; perfect for a wedding. Selene got out of the car and took a deep breath of fresh, spring air and sighed happily. She followed Kate, Yvonne, and Lin toward the location she had chosen for her wedding, next to the lake. They could see the crowd from afar. Quite a few people had shown up.

As they approached the crowd, Selene set her eyes on the one who mattered to her the most: Marcus. As he met her gaze, they smiled at each other. Just then, beautiful wedding music with violins and cellos began to play, almost bringing tears to Selene’s eyes. ‘
Hold it together, girl. Don’t mess up your makeup. You want to look your best for the man you’re about to marry.
’

When she stepped up in front of Marcus, Selene looked into his eyes and they both smiled. He grabbed both of her hands and held them as the minister spoke.

“We are gathered here today to witness the sacred union between Marcus Anderson and Selene Beckett, two people deeply in love. From this day forward, you will live your lives as one. May happiness follow you wherever you go, and no matter how near or far, may you always be as close as you are in this moment. Marcus, you may recite your vows.”

Marcus’ face glowed with happiness as he looked at her. “Selene, that night when I first saw you, I knew you were special. Then, when I got to know you, I knew you were the one for me. The bond we share is so beautiful and precious. You are not only my lover and my soul mate; you are my best friend. I promise I will always be there for you. I promise to love, honor, and protect you always. I am yours for eternity. I love you, Selene Beckett.”

Marcus’ beautiful words were her undoing. As he slipped the wedding band on her finger, she couldn’t hold back the tears any more. She took a slow, deep breath, fighting back any more tears that tried to escape. Then, when she was ready, she began, “Marcus, falling in love with you was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. Not only are you devoted and protective of me, but you show your love for me in ways I didn’t even know were possible. Being with you gives my life meaning. Being with you makes me feel truly alive. Words can’t express how happy and grateful I am to have you for my own. In this lifelong journey we will share together, I promise to love, honor, and cherish you forever. With every beat of my heart, I love you, Marcus Anderson.”

Selene slipped his wedding band on his finger and looked up at him again, never wanting to look away. They grabbed each other’s hands and held them tight as the minister spoke once more.

“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

With bright smiles on their faces, they leaned in for their first kiss as a married couple, kissing passionately as the crowd cheered loudly.

When their lips parted, they looked into each other’s eyes again, both of them thinking, ‘
What a wonderful beginning to a long, happy marriage
.’

Joshua Gates watched Selene and Marcus from afar. ‘
The happy newlywed couple.
’ He cringed at the thought. His plan hadn’t worked out the way he wanted, and he wasn’t happy about that. He always got what he wanted in the end; no matter how hard he had to work to get it or how many people had to suffer along the way.

He walked away, letting the happy couple have this day to themselves. He couldn’t promise them any more than that, though.

When Marcus and Selene arrived at their wedding reception being held in one of their favorite restaurants nearby, everyone started to cheer as soon as they walked in the door. First, the newlywed couple shared their first dance together, a song that had played in the background at their first dinner date.