The Alpha's Curse (Wolf Shifter Pregnancy Romance) (3 page)

W
hen she opened her eyes
, the gray mist of dawn swept over the farm, blanketing the hillside. Gray clouds had moved in above. She sat with a start, finding herself naked on a bed of straw, outside in the field. She climbed to her bare feet. She’d lost the boots somewhere.

She trotted through the cold, moist soil to the back porch. Tiptoeing up the stairs, her mind tried to come up with an explanation. A vague memory of the night before washed through the haze as she opened the back door. She remembered going out to the creek. The moonlight. The sweet feeling in her chest.

Then him.

The man had come to her. But was that real? How could it be? She’d seen him turn from a wolf into a man. That wasn’t possible? Had she been so tired that she’d gone to sleep on the straw? She really
was
exhausted. Valerie had been right. She needed to take it much easier on herself.

Avery went into the bathroom and turned on the shower in the claw-foot tub. Stepping inside, her body felt alive in a way that it only felt after she’d made love. It had been so long. Maybe she’d just had a really, really good dream. She’d had plenty of them before.

This one had been so intense. So real. What she remembered had to be a dream, though. Those kinds of things just didn’t happen in real life. After her shower, she dressed in a pair of baggy jeans and a warm, fluffy sweater. Today, she’d plant vegetable starts in planting trays.

After a night like last night, she had to take it easier on her body. With most of the heavy work of starting a farm in the first year behind her, she could focus on more relaxed tasks.

Outside, she took out the planting trays she’d bought at the hardware store and set them out on a makeshift planting table she’d made with a piece of plywood and two old saw horses from the dilapidated barn.

She spread out the trays and filled them with potting soil she’d prepared previously. With the trays full and even, she began planting the seeds. Tomatoes, squash, celery, eggplant, pumpkins, peppers. She labeled each tray as she worked then sprayed them with a gentle stream from a watering can.

Over the next two weeks, Avery watched her little sprouts emerge from the dark soil. The little water leaves opened up to the air, catching the morning dew each day. With each new emerging seed, Avery felt a greater sense of awakening possibility. It was more proof that her farm was coming together and would really make it in the end.

The clover had begun to sprout in the fields as well, and the seed she’d sewn directly into the raised rows had also sprouted. She was so excited about the success of her planting that she almost didn’t realize that she was already several days late for her cycle.

When she checked her planning book and noticed that her monthly visitor had not yet arrived, she set her pen down on the flowery page and tapped her fingers to her lip.

Just over two weeks ago had been the full moon. That had been the night of the strange dream of the strange man who had emerged from the body of a wolf. She had rationalized the experience as a dream, a hallucination, a moment of falling into her subconscious. There’s no way that could have been real. But she was never late for her period.

Was there some possibility that she hadn’t dreamed it? Was it possible that part of it was real? Maybe one of those mushrooms she put in her soup hadn’t been what she thought it was.

Had someone come onto her property and made love to her? How could that happen? Everything about that experience felt as if it were the most perfect moment of her life. She felt more connected to the dream man than she ever felt for any boyfriend she’d ever had. She remembered the feelings of connection between them when they were together. That couldn’t possibly happen with a stranger who just wandered onto her land and raped her.

Still, Avery wasn’t the kind of girl who could just let this kind of thing go. Even if she wasn’t ready to define exactly what happened the night of the full moon, she wanted to know the truth. She wrapped a sweater around her shoulders and walked out the front door to her truck.

She drove into town like she did every week for her regular grocery shopping trip. She took her canvas bags into the store and walked up and down the aisles with her cart, placing her weekly supply of groceries in the basket. When she came to the pharmacy aisle, she picked up the box and hid it under a bag of spaghetti noodles.

When she got to the checkout, she hid the box under a box of cereal. When the check out lady picked up the pregnancy test, she gave Avery a strange look and glanced down at Avery’s hand. Avery jerked her hands behind her back. She wasn’t going to let this woman see that she wasn’t wearing a ring. Judgment from some local woman was the last thing Avery needed today.

She paid for her groceries and took them out to the truck, where she put them in the passenger side of the cab. At home, she carried her bags into the house and slowly put everything away. When there was nothing left to unpack, except the pregnancy test, she lifted the box to her face and read the directions. She’d never had to take one of these things before, but she had known some other girls who had. Apparently it was the easiest thing in the world. After reading the instructions, it seemed to be the case, so she took the package into the bathroom and followed the directions.

As she paced around in front of the mirror, she thought to herself how ridiculous this all would seem from the outside. If she told her mom or dad or brother about this, they would think she was a complete flake. She couldn’t tell anybody, that was for sure. The people in this town and the people in her family had already proved themselves to be way too judgmental to trust with a strange situation like hers. Whatever happened, she would have to keep it to herself.

When she looked down at the pregnancy test, she was shocked to see two pink lines. Pregnant. She gasped and put her hand to her mouth as she slid down the wall to the floor. Sitting on the cool linoleum, Avery leaded her head back and groaned. She was pregnant, of all things. The very moment she was able to start her lifelong dream of becoming a farmer, she found herself pregnant by immaculate conception or with a werewolf.

Instead of sitting there and thinking “why me,” she climbed to her feet and threw the pregnancy test in the garbage can. If she was really pregnant with a shapeshifting wolf baby, she certainly wanted to see it when it was born. She didn’t think for a second about not having it. From that moment on, Avery resolved that she was going to become a mother.

In many ways, the thought of motherhood and pregnancy beginning in the way that it had, with her and the wolf-man lying naked in the fertile spring field, just felt right. She’d love this baby no matter who the father might be. Maybe she was going crazy. Maybe she was totally cracking up. But then again, maybe she wasn’t. Either way, she had to carry on or she would lose it all.

For the next two weeks, Avery continued with her normal chores. Raking, weeding, pruning back the blackberries and brambles that were encroaching onto her farm along the driveway.

One night, Avery made herself some steak and corn on a barbecue pit she’d built in the yard that sprawled around the side of her house. She sat beside the fire, into the night, and watched the full moon come out. Just as the last orange remnants of the sun faded into the purple night, Avery heard a gunshot crack down the road. She shot to her feet, wondering what had happened.

With her heart pounding from the shock, she buried the fire and went inside. As she got ready for bed, she heard a knock from her front door. She almost jumped out of her skin from fright. Who would come to her house this late? She hurried to the front door in her robe, gripping the lapels on her neck. She opened the door a crack and peered outside.

The absolute shock she felt when she looked upon the man who stood on her porch could not be equaled. It was him, his blue eyes glittering in the porch light. She couldn’t speak; she could barely think. For the last two weeks she had been carrying the knowledge of his child growing in her womb, not knowing if he was real or fantasy. But now, here he was, standing on her porch.

Bleeding.

“What happened?” she asked, stepping aside for him to enter her house. He walked past her and went to the kitchen, where he sat down at the table. He didn’t have any rips or tears in his clothes.

He looked up at her with those blue eyes that seemed to see into her soul. His wound bled but he was happy to see her anyway.

“I was shot,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Who shot you?”

“It doesn’t matter. I need you to help me.”

“You need to go to a doctor,” she said. Avery didn’t know anything about treating a gunshot wound. But she did have some medicinal herbs and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide around her kitchen. He pulled off his bloody shirt, revealing a chest rippled with muscles and covered with symbolic tattoos.

Several birdshot wounds dug into his shoulder. She found a pair of sharp tweezers and covered them with hydrogen peroxide before pulling the birdshot out of his arm, one pebble at a time. She dropped the little pieces of metal into a steel bowl and set it on the table in front of her when she was done.

“I feel better already,” he said.

She covered the wound with peroxide and prepared a poultice of medicinal herbs to apply to his wounds. She made the poultice with some water and white clay and applied it to his arm before tying it off with a bandage.

“Who are you?” she asked in a whisper.

“I am your mate,” he said softly. “I am very tired. Healing this wound is taxing my reserves. May I share your bed tonight?”

The same feeling of deep connection and intertwining passion filled her body and mind and she couldn’t say no to him. She wanted him to share her bed and she wanted him to share her life.

She stood and nodded for him to follow her. They went into the bedroom and she turned down her blankets before he took off his pants and she removed her rope. In their underthings, they crawled into the bed and held each other in a soft embrace.

In the darkness, with the sound of crickets and frogs outside, Avery listened to his heart beating, strong and solid below her cheek.

“What is your name?” she asked him.

He ran his hand over her hair and down her back, softly cupping her behind in his hand. He kissed her forehead softly.

“My name is Lucien.”

“Lucien. I’m Avery,” she started. “Now that we know each other’s names, I think you should know, I’m carrying your child.”

He pulled her closer and nuzzled her cheek.

“I know, my beloved. I am more pleased than you could ever imagine,” he said.

Avery breathed out a sweet sigh and sunk deeper into his chest. They slept together in the warm embrace, drifting between waking and dreams. When the dawn light stretched over her eyelids, Avery opened them to find that Lucien was gone. A silent tear slid down her cheek. She didn’t know how she would live without him now.

C
ontinuing
her normal routine after Lucien’s second disappearance proved to be difficult for Avery. She fell into a minor depression and had a hard time getting herself to do the work she needed to do. Finally, the harsh edges of her disappointment smoothed out and she was able to get back to business.

If she spent all of her time pining away for Lucien, it would only drive her crazy. Instead, she had something to keep her occupied, and it wasn’t a small thing either. Running her farm was everything she had ever wanted in her life. With or without the man of her dreams, she would continue with her work.

But knowing that she carried Lucien’s baby inside her womb made it difficult to not think about him.

Somewhere at the bottom of her heart, she knew he would eventually come back to her. He was her soulmate, the love of her life, and the man of her dreams. In Avery’s reality, there was no way that he could not come back to her. Things just didn’t work out that way. He had to come back. She wouldn’t let herself believe for a moment that she would raise her baby alone.

The days moved on into weeks and her crops began to grow. Soon, they were ready for market. Avery had already begun to notice the changes in her body over the many weeks between planting and her first harvest. No one on the outside could see it yet, but she’d felt the budding of new life inside her.

She missed Lucien more with each passing day. Part of her wished she could confide in someone, but not even Valerie would understand this. She did have to go see a doctor soon, no matter what.

Avery booked an appointment with a doctor in Portland for the day after the farmer’s market. The day before the market, Avery packed up her freshly harvested lettuce, spinach, and salad greens. Early in the dark morning, with the mist still heavy on the roads, she started the long drive to Portland.

Over the hours, she listened to her mp3 player, missing the conveniences of civilization. When she got to town, she set up her tent and prepared her greens. They looked great and she was proud of them. She’d worked hard to get all her certifications and licenses. Here she was, selling at her first farmer’s market in downtown Portland.

It was all a dream come true.

For her to have accomplished what she had was pretty phenomenal in the small farming community around Oregon. Grannie’s gift to her had made it all possible. Otherwise, she would still be trying to save up the money to invest in the land.

She’d been able to get an ideal spot, even as rural as it was. Most of the interns she’d worked with at Valerie’s farm had gone back to working normal jobs.

Avery was so grateful for her property, she wished she had someone to share it with. She wished she had someone to share anything with. She’d only seen Lucien a few times in person. As connected as they were, he wasn’t there for her now. Whatever was keeping him away, she knew she could forgive him in the end. Her connection to him was just too strong to deny. She needed to be with him again. Nothing had ever felt so good or so right.

The first customers to the farmer’s market began to filter in. A steady stream of customers flowed through the booth. Every type of person you could imagine strolled the aisles. She recognized a few hipsters from her college and waved hello.

Two young men with beards and tattoos walked over to her, smiling. She remembered one was an art student who was a friend of a friend and the other was in her forest ecology class. The two men had already purchased a bag of hazelnuts and a package of local cheese between them.

“Avery Miller. Is that you? Wow, you really did get your own farm,” said the guy from her ecology class.

“I’ve got a great crop too,” she said, smiling.

“Your greens look delicious. I’ll take a head of lettuce and a bag of salad greens.”

Avery wrapped them up for him and passed him the bag as he pulled bills out of his wallet. After he paid, he and his friend promised to visit her for the rest of the season. Getting the support of her peers was so gratifying, but that didn’t keep her from almost having a heart attack when the next customer entered her stall.

“Avery? What are you doing here?” her brother said.

“Hello, Frederick,” she greeted him with distaste.

“Are these your vegetables?” he asked in bewildered disbelief.

He was wearing a windbreaker over a collared shirt and a pair of dark jeans. His perfectly cut hair, his perfectly polished skin, and his manicured nails. Her lawyer brother Frederick had always been the good child, while Avery was the slacker.

“They’re great, aren’t they?” Avery said.

“I suppose.”

He pressed his fists to his hips and chewed on his upper lip, looking back and forth at her bounty.

“You know, Mom and Dad had a right to part of grandma’s inheritance. You should have shared it with them instead of keeping it all for this project of yours.”

“Freddy, Mom and Dad have plenty of money. Plus, Grandma left them the house.”

“Do you really think this is the wisest use of that money?”

“We’ve been through this,” she said, feeling as if she might burst into tears. Her parents didn’t need the money, by any stretch of the imagination. Why did he have to stomp all over her dreams?

“Do you want to buy some spinach? Greens are good for your blood,” she said.

“Nice, Avery. No, I don’t need any of your spinach. I’m meeting people.”

“Well, bye,” she said with a dismissive wave.

“Avery. Really. I’m just trying to help.”

“I know. That’s the worst part.”

He made a frustrated sound at the back of his throat and turned toward the exit.

“See ya, sis,” he said, walking away.

“Wouldn’t want’a be ya,” she muttered under her breath.

Why didn’t anyone understand?

Her brother wanted her to put all her money into the stock market and get a regular job. Unless she was willing to give it to Mom and Dad. Those were the only acceptable things to do. He didn’t understand her life goal, and he didn’t care. “That’s what you do when you retire,” he’d told her once.

The rest of the day, she tried to forget about her brother. Just because he didn’t understand her didn’t mean she had to let it get her down. At the end of the day, she’d made a tidy sum and had sold all of her harvest for the week. It was a definite success for her first market and she reminded herself she should be proud of what she’d done.

The next morning, she drove to the doctor. Waiting in the waiting room with all the women’s magazines and body charts, she felt a little nervous. She hoped her baby was healthy. Her child had become a part of her dream. Over the last few months, she’d started coming up with baby names.

After her exam, her doctor sat down to talk with her.

“Your baby’s heart is exceptionally strong,” the doctor told her.

“What do you mean? Is it healthy?” she asked.

“It sounds perfectly healthy.
More
than healthy.”

Her child was Lucien’s baby. She had no idea what or who he was. Her experience told her he was more than a man. He was something larger than life that took courage and faith to believe in. She believed in him, and she believed in his child.

Avery left the doctor’s office with an appointment to see her baby in a sonogram. She couldn’t wait. She wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl.

Would it be Brandon or Lily?

Terrance or Fiona?

She wanted to start buying things for the nursery, but knew it was too soon.

When she got home, she decided it was time to put her young chickens into their own coops. She’d gotten attached to them, and had let them stay inside the house for too long. Now that the coop was ready and the weather had warmed, they would be more than fine.

She thought of the story the horse rancher had told her about his chickens. He’d said the wolf had raided his chicken coop. Would the wolf do that to her chickens?

Was the wolf really Lucien?

She knew Lucien would never hurt her chickens.

Nevertheless, it was time to let her babies out of the nest. She took them out to the newly constructed coop she’d made from a design she’d built before. She put a warming bulb in there just in case the chickens got cold the first few nights. The young chickens hopped onto the straw floor, looking quite happy to be in there.

She watched them for a while then closed the door. It was a secure pen, not too far from the house. As she walked out to the fields to continue her work, she thought about what the future would be like if Lucien never came back. Could she really raise this baby alone and run her farm? She didn’t know if she could.

Part of her was terrified she was going insane. Most people would not believe that any of this was true, but for Avery, it was the truest thing that had ever happened. She knew it in her heart or hearts.

Maybe it was all the fairy tales or new age books she’d read, but she believed in the magic of true love. She believed in the soul and that there was one true mate for everybody out there. Lucien made her feel it all. With him, she knew it was true. Down to her core.

That didn’t stop her from wondering if she was being reasonable, considering she couldn’t talk to anyone about it.