Page 58 of The Pregnant Wolf Omega Next Door

“If that’s what you want, I will gladly give it,” Zenith said, trying not to laugh. A toenail was such a small thing compared to all that Emre was.

Emre wrinkled his nose. “I appreciate the sentiment, but no thanks.”

“That’s a relief.” Zenith stood up. He didn’t feel right, providing only towels for something as huge as a birth, but he didn’t want to be presumptuous and force Emre to accept things he didn’t want. “Now, your nest. Quinlan said the pup shouldn’t have contact with too much water. Where would you like me to build your nest?”

“Here?” Emre petted the bed.

Zenith’s eyebrows crawled up. “You’d want your nest to be in my bed?”

Emre hesitated. “Is that something you don’t want?”

“No, it’s something I would love to have.” Zenith’s instincts rumbled under his skin, pleased. “Let me see what I can do.”

Before he could race out of the bedroom, Emre’s face pinched again. He curled around his belly, breathing hard.

Oh fuck, he was going into labor, and soon.

Zenith hurried over, rubbing Emre’s back and kissing his ear. “You’re doing so good,” he whispered. “So beautiful.”

“I’m fine,” Emre panted. Zenith didn’t leave his side until his breathing evened out again.

For a long, wistful moment, Zenith wished he could’ve had more time to prepare. He would’ve built a glorious nest and filled it with pillows made with the finest silks. He would’ve sawed, hammered, and polished, to make a nest like no other.

Right now, what hedidhave were creature comforts. They weren’t plentiful, but Emre was small, and Zenith’s bed couldn’t fit very much, anyway.

Zenith was going to surround him with some of the best things he could find.

He hurried from one guestroom to the next, grabbing pillows and duvets. He brought them back to his bedroom and moved Emre and Abbie off his bed. The pillows went on the mattress first. He built a circular boundary with them and draped severalblankets over the pillows to hold them in place, before filling the inside of the nest with more soft pillows.

When the basic nest was done, he scooped up Emre and Abbie, placing them gently in the nest. Then he presented Emre with a sweet soap he’d picked for one of his guestrooms, and some colorful stuffed animals he’d managed to order for Abbie over the past few days.

“It’s not much,” Zenith said apologetically. “I would’ve put in a thousand times more effort for your nest, if I had more time.”

Emre’s mouth fell open. For a second, he looked... shattered.

“Sweetheart?” Zenith asked, leaning in worriedly. “Did I do something wrong?”

Emre ducked his head. “No, no. It’s just...”

He drew a deep breath and lifted his chin; his eyes were wet. Zenith’s stomach dropped.

“No one’s ever built me a nest before,” Emre said, choked. “You didn’t have to; I’m not going to be pregnant for much longer.”

“But you will have pups with you,” Zenith pointed out. “You can use the nest to rest and recover.”

“Yes, but don’t you see? No one’s everwantedto give me something so amazing. And here you are, doing the best you can with the little time you have.”

Zenith shot him a tiny smile. “You’re worth it.”

Emre’s breath hitched. He reached up, rubbing his chest.

Zenith frowned and drew closer, his worry growing. “Is something wrong?”

Emre shook his head. “I’m okay. I just... feel a lot of things right now.”

“Good things, I hope.”

“Definitely good things.” Emre gave him a warm, tearful smile.