Chapter 78 A Lovely Surprise
December 2nd
Four dayster Haden and Lia had moved into a house on the edge of Triton, Amber''s funeral had
been and gone and pack life had resumed pretty much to normal.
Despite our new agreement, Leo was still reluctant to talk about the rogue situation but after Amber''s
death, it seemed to quieten down and there were no more attacks so I didn''t feel the need to keep
bringing it up.
Especially as today was Lenny''s 16th birthday. A day for us all to celebrate his first shift, be happy and
not worry about anything else going on out there.
"Nothing fits me, Leo," I groaned cing my hand on the ever-growing baby bump.
I''d been searchingf or something to wear for hours now. I didn''t just want to wear by usual pregnancy
fits of legging''s and baggy t-shirts because I couldn''t show up to a party looking like a hobo but most of
my skirts and dresses were reluctant to fit over my stomach.
Eventually, I found a denim skirt with an adjustable waist. I squeezed into it and really struggled to do
up the top button but it just about fit.
"That skirt is way to short with the bump," Leo stated the second I came out the closet.
I frowned.
"We are going to your littlest brother''s birthday party and I''m pregnant, Leo. It is fine," I replied.
"I said it''s too short Els," he repeated.
"Leo-"
"It''s not up for debate. Change now," he sternly.
"I don''t have anything else."
Leo furrowed his eyebrows and hesitated for a moment in thought.
"Wait here, I''ll be back in a second," he said before leaving the room.
Two minutester, he came back into the bedroom with arge cardboard box.
ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
"These are my Mom''s old maternity clothes that she wore through nine pregnancies and have been in
the slightly damp basement since Lenny was born sixteen years ago," he said.
"Wow. You''d be a great sales pitcher," I stated.
"Unnecessary sarcasm," He replied before putting the box down on the bed.
"Don''t put it on the bed, Leo," I scolded. "It''s dusty and that''s where we sleep."
"Sorry, who are you? My mother?" He questioned before lifting it back up and putting it on the floor.
"What about this?" Leo asked after a few minutes of rummaging.
It was a denim dungaree dress that normally I would think was pretty cute.
"I''ll look like Humpty dumpty''s wife in that," I replied.
"Okay...what about this?" he asked picking up a green floral dress.
It was thigh lengthed with short sleeves and a silky sort of fabric.
"Worth a try."
The dress was soft and pretty and the flowyness of the fabric made me feel slightly less like an
elephant.
"Looking beautiful," Leo said as he kissed me gently.
"Not too bad yourself," I said looking at his ck jeans and white v-neck t-shirt....oh and gorgeous face
and muscles....and skin and eyes and...I won''t bore you anymore...
Okay, I will.
His shirt was slightly fitted, so the definition of his muscle showed through. And as he lifted his arms to
shrug his jacket up over his shoulders, the bottom lifted up whichbined with his jeans sitting low on
his hips, showed the full beauty of those washboard abs.
He''d washed his hair andbed it when it was wet before leaving it to dry untouched into these
touselled waves of thick brown that fell perfectly across his forehead.
Then there was his eyes. With the healthy tan of his skin, they stood out bright and blue like the ocean
on a summer''s day. I never got tired of admiring the folds of pigment inside them that swirled and
spiralled in a thousand different shades.
"Are we gonna go or...?" he asked snapping his fingers in my face.
I jolted out of my daze and he held my hand as we headed to the Loren''s house.
It was a beautiful day so we decided to take the walk, which was only about an hour long.
"Nardy and the Luna are here!" A girl squealed from the kitchen as we arrived at the party.
"Nardy?" I questioned and he rolled his eyes.
"My four-year-old cousin calls me Nardy- short for Leonardo apparently," he replied before a blonde-
haired, blue-eyed and incredibly cute little girl ran into the hall.
Leo knelt down as she continued to run up to him before swung her into the air as she giggled.
"I missed you Nardy," she said as held her on his hip and she yed with his hair.
"Missed you too L," Leo replied. "Have you met my Luna yet?" he asked her.
She shook her head before burying it into Leo''s shoulder suddenly looking shy.
"You can''t be afraid of someone that short," He whispered in her ear whilst looking at me with a smile.
"Hey!" I eximed. "Nice to meet you, L, I''m E."
"Hello E," she said shyly. "Do you like Nardy?"
"Of course I like Nardy. We are mates," I replied.
"What is mates?" she questioned.
"It means that whether we like it or not, E and I will always be together," Leo answered.
"Always?"
"Always."
"Are you nice?" she said looking back at me. "You must be nice or Nardy wouldn''t like you because
nice people only like nice people and Nardy is the nicest person in the whole wide world and Mommy
says that you''ll be good for him."
"Did she now?" Leo asked and L nodded.
"And she said that her brother, Uncle Antonio, did a great job of raising an Alpha but forgot the human
part. Whatever that means..." L added. "And she said that the Luna-"
"Why don''t you show me to the birthday boy L and leave what Mommy says for you to know and me
to not know?"
"Lenny is in the living room," L said.
Leo looked over his shoulder at me and gave me a look that said ''Mommy should be more careful what
she says around a four-year-old'' and I had to stifle augh.
He then carried L into the next room with one arm as he held my hand with the other.
Lenny sat amongst his sisters and some other guys I didn''t know, presumably friends or cousins. As we
approached, Leo put his little cousin down who then promptly ran over excitedly to Maria and started
climbing all over her shoulders and head.
"Happy birthday Lenny," Leo said as I handed him our gift.
"Thanks, Leo, thanks E," he said.
"Excited for the shift?" Leo asked.
"Nervous," Lenny replied running his hands through his hair.
"Even though you''ve watched nine siblings go through it already?" Leo asked.
"Especially because of that. It looks fucking painful," he replied.
"Ahh, only the first hundred or so times," Leo said pping his hand onto his brother''s shoulder and
Lenny''s face dropped.
Leo''s curled into a smile, "Kidding...anyway, where is Dad?"
"In the backyard, why?"
"I need to talk to him about something," he replied. "Can I leave E with you Len?"
"Once again, I am not a dog," I said before he ignored me and walked off.
"Where''s the rest of your siblings?" I asked noticing only Maria, Elena and Lisa were there.
"Marco and Carlos are our in the yard with some other cousins doing God knows what. Mom''s ordered
them to be on their best behaviour but...you know. Um... Mateo is probably either ying with the kids
or chatting up a girl somewhere. Be is arriving with Xander soon and Lia should be arriving with
Haden soon too."
"Haden ising...?" Said.
"Yes..."
"Does Leo know??
"No..."
"Do you think telling him might be a good idea?" I asked. "Ya know...before he gets here?"
"Toote," Lenny said before the front door opened and the scent of Alpha in the house trippled.
"Lenny!" Be squealeding into the living room and squeezing the life out of her little brother.
"Sixteen atst," she added.
I noticed Xander stood a few metres back. He and Be had been in Russia this week, visiting
Xander''s pack. Be had called Leo at least three times telling him how happy she was and how great
Xander was.
By the way Xander stood, a smile on his face, greeting Lenny and then me, I could tell it was all true.
But then there was Haden.
He couldn''t have been more the opposite. He wished Lenny a happy birthday through gritted teeth
before turning to me and forcing a sarcastic smile.
"Where''s your Alpha hun?" He asked.
"He''s your Alpha now too," Lenny pointed out in a deep tone.
"Wow, I can tell you''re a Loren," Haden said unfazed. "But big Loren doesn''t know I''ming, does
he?" Haden concluded. "Otherwise his Luna wouldn''t be anywhere near the door."
"Not yet," Lenny replied.
"Well, he''s gonna love this then," Haden said with a grin, "What a lovely surprise."