what to expect when you're expecting

she paced around for what seemed like days after her meeting Avalon. the elder had been the one to tell her she was expecting children. it had been a shock to the system but not an unwelcomed one. Heloise always assumed she'd be middle-aged by the time she found a man she trusted enough to have children with. though her and Acere were not mates for long, the news would only bring them closer together as parents. there was a small, nagging fear that the king would be worried or even upset but that was just it; nagging and unreasonable. the sad fact was that Acere had no other children outside of Altair; and he had adopted her.

Heloise chose to believe that Acere would be happy to have his own children. he was a good man and kind to her. there was no reason he would reject her at this moment in their relationship. nor reject their children. he would be overjoyed, surely. walking toward his den now, the woman called softly for her mate to come out and join her. they needed to talk about this, and she needed to tell him. it would be unfair to keep it from him until she started to show. her insides did an embarrassed squirm, knowing that the birth of a king's children would have to be shared with not just him but all of Winterfell. she hadn't exactly told anyone they were mates yet.