Free MoonlightDrifter by Jessica Coulter Smith

child. I work with Connor, but that’s only because Cassie keeps the kids
when Alisdair isn’t in school.”
    Allie had to admit they brought
up good points. She couldn’t imagine how crazy her life would become after the
baby arrived. She’d heard they slept little and demanded constant attention.
Having never really been around any, except for pack gatherings, she didn’t
know much about them. The thought of motherhood terrified her. What if she was
a bad parent?
    “You look scared shitless,” Darcy
said.
    “Because I am,” Allie admitted.
“The idea of bringing a life into the world, of being responsible for someone
other than me, it’s terrifying.”
    Chloe smiled. “You’ll do fine.
Trust me; it will come naturally to you. All right, so it doesn’t come
naturally to all women, but you’re a shifter. I think it’s part of your DNA.”
    Allie nodded.
    Aislinn uncovered one of the
dishes on the counter, producing a chocolate cake with a white glaze. Allie’s
mouth watered. She’d missed lunch and the cocoa smell had her wanting to take a
bite. Or three.
    The other covers came off,
revealing a veggie tray, a cheese and cracker tray, and some of those tiny
sandwiches they had at parties. Allie couldn’t think of what they were called.
Everything looked wonderful.
    “We thought we’d have an
impromptu party,” Jasmine said. “I don’t know you well, none of us really do,
and we thought maybe you could use some girl talk and treats.”
    “Everything looks great. Thank
you for coming over.” Allie smiled. Who knew, maybe she’d have new friends when
this was over. And they’d given her something to think about. She hadn’t been
fair to Cain, she realized that now. He’d marked her before they knew about the
baby so obviously he cared about her in some way.
    She settled in for what Jasmine
had called “girl talk” and was determined to have a talk with Cain over
breakfast. It was time to face her future head on. With a mate by her side.

 
    Chapter Eight
    At nearly nine o’clock the next
morning, Cain knocked on Allie’s door. He was late, but he had a really good
reason for it. Cain waited a few minutes then knocked again. Where was she? Had
she left, thinking he’d stood her up? There was a faint noise on the other side
of the door and then he heard the locks turning. When she pulled open the door,
he couldn’t stop the smile that sprang to his lips. She was too adorable for
words in her sleep tank and shorts with her hair matted and twisted from sleep.
    “Morning,” he said.
    Without a word, she stepped back
to allow him entrance into her apartment. She closed the door behind him and
went back into the bedroom. Curious, Cain followed her and shook his head when
he saw her fall face down onto the bed and snuggle into her pillow. Obviously
his mate wasn’t a morning person. He’d have to remember that.
    “Did you forget we were meeting
this morning?” he asked.
    “Too early,” she mumbled, not
opening her eyes.
    “I’m actually late. By an hour.”
    She groaned and burrowed her face
further into the pillow.
    “You know, I had planned to take
you to the diner over on Fifth Street for breakfast. I’ve heard they have
really good biscuits with sausage gravy, and even better pancakes.”
    He heard her stomach rumble and
grinned. She slowly rolled over, cracked one eye open and glared at him.
    “That isn’t playing fair,” she
said.
    “Come on, lazy bones. Why are you
so tired anyway?”
    “A bunch of the women in the pack
came over after you dropped me off yesterday and they stayed until late into
the night. It was after midnight when I went to bed.”
    He frowned. “You need your sleep
now that you’re pregnant. Did they know about the baby?”
    She nodded. “That’s partly why
they were here. They wanted to congratulate me.”
    “You should have kicked them out
by ten.”
    “Are you seriously going to stand
there and tell me how I should run my life?”
    He shrugged a