Chimera needed some time away. Just a little break from the stressors of running a pack. He invited Aliana out to the den at the dam for a night alone, just the two of them. The clouded woman was his heart and the Fenmyrian King thoroughly enjoyed every moment that he spent with her. Even if they weren't doing anything more than cuddling, the small grey and white woman had a way of soothing the beast and making him content. She was just what he needed after a stressful day.

Earlier that day, Chimera had asked his trio of mastiffs to prepare the den. They brought fresh furs, fluffed the cushions, filled the basins of water and brought packs of meats that the pair of wolves could consume. Roc restocked the firewood while Gem and Meg made the space a place of luxury. It was what Aliana deserved.

Early evening, Chimera stopped at the spacious room that he shared with Aliana. He collected the fae and ferried them from the island to the mainland. They leisurely made their way towards the large community den that the pack had created together. The evening was shaping up to be a little cool, the air crisp, though not enough to see ones breath. The perfect temperature for a bonfire and a bit of cuddling. The black and white brute sat his lady down upon a pile of thick furs then moved to start the fire with steel and flint. The kindling caught and soon the fire was blazing merrily.

Moving back to the furs, the two-toned dire lay behind his small queen, curling himself around her so that she could lean back against him. One giant foreleg draped gently over the fae's abdomen as he nestled in against her. A pink and black speckled nose found its way behind one snowy ear and he inhaled the scent of her. It had changed, her scent. He knew what it meant, but he was waiting for her to confirm it.

"Chimera & Aliana"

Aliana knew what was happening to her body. She'd sensed the change shortly after she and Chimera had returned from the Hallows wedding together. It seemed that their little spicy tryst in the castle baths along with their impassioned mating in their own bed once they'd gotten home that night had done what it had been intended to do. She had asked Chimera to make her a mother again and her body had welcomingly taken his seed. Now the Fenmyrian queen was pregnant once more with her third litter. Though she knew and felt the changes soon after, hinted by her abating heat, she didn't say a word to Chimera just yet. With their track record of litters being 50-50 to date, she didn't want to get him too excited in case... something were to happen. So Aliana continued her life like normal, tending to her gardens, keeping the pack's pharmaceuticals well stocked, and aiding in expanding Fenmyre's kingdom to the Cedar Falls. Life proceeded as normal with no one else the wiser.

Once summer began to shift into autumn and the weather began to cool slightly, Ali started to feel the changes grow more noticeable. Though she didn't have full on morning sickness yet, the weeks that had passed had brought about dizzy spells and bouts of nausea, thankfully nowhere near as bad as her previous pregnancy. Her belly wasn't showing yet, but given her slim and lithe physique, it wouldn't be long until her sides began to swell with Chimera's growing children. On this day, the queen had decided to tell her king the good news. By now, if she hadn't lost the litter, they would likely be in the clear. She continued to take her prenatal supplements while she worked on planning out a romantic way to break the good news to her mate and soon-to-be father again. Luckily for her, Chimera took that legwork away when he invited her out to spend some quality time at the aspen retreat they'd built some seasons ago. What better time to tell him he was going to be a father again than now?

Aliana spent the day grooming and bathing, making herself as beautiful and enticing to her king as possible. It wouldn't be long before they would have to be extra cautious around their couplings, so tonight she wanted to be sure she could enjoy all of her dire brute as much as she could. And if he didn't feel comfortable taking her... well, she always had her mouth still. Chimera appeared to fetch her just as evening settled over the lands, the ash and snow fae greeting her duotone mate with a loving smile. Together they traversed the channel to the mainland and out to the communal den, where he had already prepared things for them. Ali was impressed; for all the big brute that he often was, Chi had a romantic and sweet side that had only grown more prominent as he aged. It reminded her of the man he used to be and who he was now. She was very proud of the changes he'd gone through.

The clouded fae settled down into the plush, warm furs while Chimera started a fire for them. The flames roared to life, dry wood snapping as it burned to keep them warm. Aquamarine eyes followed the behemoth's movements while he came to curl around her, cuddling easily into his muscled form while he embraced her. A gentle tickle of his nose behind her ear drew a giggle from the woman, who nuzzled affectionately underneath his chin. She knew what he was doing, knew that he was sampling her scent to find the changes in her hormones. "Your nose is working right, my handsome king," she spoke in soft, purred lyrics, tilting her muzzle up to lick gently under his jaw, her eyes shimmering with love and joy. "We're going to be parents again." Ali expected nothing less than delight for her words, but she was still anxious to see Chi's reaction, wanting to see the happiness in his expression at the revelation she'd provided.

"Chimera & Aliana"

The pair lay together easily, comfortably, as though they were always meant to be this way. It was ridiculous how enamored he was with this little, clouded woman. Aliana knew him like no other. Her knowledge of him had surpassed Siren's knowledge of him. Aliana was the captor of his heart and whatever soul he might possess. Such feelings were difficult to voice, and so he rarely did. Instead, he showed her through actions, like right now.

The dual-toned giant took in the scent of his woman and soon she confirmed his suspicions verbally. The mans maw split in a grin and he pulled her more deeply into his embrace by wrapping both forelegs around her. Chimera rolled onto his back and gently pulled his pregnant woman atop him. Love shone in the man's pale pink eye and one huge paw raised to slide lightly along the fae's silvered cheek. "How is it that you always know how to make me happy?" The brutes rich tones rumbled out, though softly.

Aliana meant so much to him. She'd gone from slave to fuck toy to queen and she'd done it all on her own. Was that enough for her? Was she content? Again his paw stroked her cheek and he searched the woman's lovely face, framed as it was by the stars above and illuminated by the golden glow of the fire. She seemed otherworldly as she lay there atop him. "Are you content being my queen, Aliana? Is there anything you would have of me?"

"Chimera & Aliana"

Aliana had expected to see happiness and delight in Chimera's face when she revealed the news of her diagnosis to him. She knew of her mate's love of his children, how much he loved having puppies in the island estate. With their most recent litter now turning into yearlings, that vacancy had needed to be filled—and now so had Ali. She would once more carry her mate's children, bring another litter of proud Klein pups into the world. Nothing brought her more joy or satisfaction than being a mother had and the ash and snow queen was greatly looking forward to doing it all over again. She spoke those words to him, and immediately Ali saw her king's face crack into a wide smile, flashing every pearly tooth while the behemoth brute scooped her up tighter into his embrace, drawing sweet airy giggles from the woman. Chimera's actions had always spoken louder to her than his words needed to—she knew voicing his emotions was a challenge for him, and so she had learned to read between the lines of what he did, his body language, and the expressions on his face. What he showed her here and now was sheer joy.

With a shifting of their bodies, Chimera easily rolled them so her svelte form was draped across his own, the clouded queen lifting her head up just enough to peer down into her king's mismatched eyes. Her body hadn't begun to show signs of her pregnancy yet, leaving her still slender and easy to manipulate to a wolf like Chi. The same love shone in her aquamarine eyes for him, a dainty snow white paw sliding up his chest to bridge the gap to his muzzle, stroking along the edge of his jaw whilst she leaned into his touch to her cheek. She reveled in this moment, in the bliss and excitement and love. It was such a stark difference from where she had begun to where they were now. For most of her life, Aliana had been nothing but a slave—property to be bought, used, and sold. Chimera had obtained her, utilized her, used her, and now he practically worshipped her with the way he looked at her and touched her as if she were made of snow. They'd run the gamut of their relationship from the lowest to the highest. Even now Ali could scarcely believe this was her reality. This was her life.

Chimera asked how she always knew how to make him happy and Aliana's cheeks flushed with a warm blush. Her silky tail gave excited wags behind her as she giggled again, bringing her other paw up to gently caress Chimera's cheeks while gazing into his eyes. "You're easy to please, my king." Ali flashed him a roguish smile before leaning closer to lay a tender lick to her mate's chin and speaking in velvety tones. "Or maybe I just know you well." Aliana had spent so much of her life within Chimera's inner circle by now, if she didn't know him well, that would've been an egregious failure. As he studied her, she too would stare back at his face, at his chiseled features that she ran satin paw pads over, watching the way the glow of the firelight played off of his visage. Her king. Her mate. Her Chimera.

He asked if she was content, the question breaking her from her dreamy thoughts admit her staring, and she replied with a gentle smile. "Everything I would have, you have given me tenfold, Chimera," she replied in her own hushed lyrics. "You gave me life, gave me purpose, gave me a chance to know freedom and happiness and love. Everything everyone else tried to take from me, you gave me back." Aliana brushed her paw across his brow, then up over his forehead to stroke the edge of his white-furred ear. "I am content, Chimera. I'm content because I have you, our family, this wonderful home... Being your queen is more than I could have ever dreamed of, but I'm truly happy just being yours."

"Chimera & Aliana"