“Don't joke about that,” she said wrapping her arms around him.
“I'm not. I'll keep you safe. I won't let you fall into his hands,” he vowed, holding her close.
“I just want you to be safe,” she said as she felt her tears begin to fall.
“Don't even think of it,” he said, stroking her hair to comfort her.
“I love you,” she said, unable to think of any better words to give him encouragement.
“That's all the motivation I need to defeat him,” he said with a smile and then he pressed his lips to hers and she tried to convey in that kiss all that he meant to her. As soon as his lips left hers, he darted off to the stone circle to take his place in preparation for the battle.
The crowds were silent as Bertram and Luke entered the battle ring. All eyes were locked on them as they stood opposite each other and waited for the chief to give the signal for the battle to begin.
Bertram wore a hateful smirk on his face that made Kalia's stomach turn. She knew that he would love nothing more than to spill Luke's blood and she was suddenly terrified. She knew in her heart that Luke could do anything in the world, but she did not want him to be in danger for even a second. She wanted to scream and to do all that she could to stop the fight before it began, but she knew she could not risk distracting Luke or letting him believe for even a second she doubted him.
It was their love and his commitment to them living a life together that would give him the edge needed to win. Fighting every urge within her, she silently took her seat next to the chief, who rested his hand on her shoulder in a gesture of assurance that warmed her heart. She didn't know him well, but she then understood that he was just as scared as she was.
She could feel Bertram's eyes on her and she turned to give him a glare. The way he was looking at her clearly fueled Luke's aggression because she could hear him growling in anticipation.
“You showed. I thought you might just surrender her to me,” Bertram taunted.
“Never,” Luke snarled.
“So I was right then. You do love her,” he said, an expression of twisted glee on his face.
“Don't even speak about her,” Luke snapped.
“I'll do more than talk about her. Once I kill you, I will take her and make her my own in every way. I'll use her body as I see fit. She'll bring me so much pleasure, I'll make her scream my name, perhaps in fear at first, but eventually she will come to worship me. She'll not even remember your name,” Bertram said, sure his words would strike a chord.
“If you think that, you're a fool,” Luke growled.
“You're the fool. I've been waiting for you to love something enough that I could use it against you. I toyed with just killing her when I heard you had taken a mate, but once I saw her, I knew I could not let a female like that go to waste,” he said, his lingering gaze returning to Kalia.
That seemed to be the final straw for Luke. “You'll never lay a hand on her. You'll never even speak to her again,” he roared.
“Let's get to this, then. Soon enough, we'll know who's the victor and to whom will go the spoils,” he smirked.
It was then that the chief gave the signal to begin. Luke rushed at Bertram and quickly had him on the ground. Bertram was able to grapple with Luke and they both battled fiercely. Kalia didn't want to watch but she needed to be brave for Luke. For each blow he landed, Bertram seemed to land one of his own.
They continued to flip each other to and fro and she couldn't tell who truly had the upper hand. Though they were in their human forms, they did not hesitate to use their teeth and nails in the fierce battle. It seemed that it lasted forever, with no signs of a clear victor.
It was not until Bertram took a large chunk out of Luke’s chest that Kalia could maintain her silence no more. She gasped in horror. The sound seemed to be all that Luke needed to spur him on. He leapt up and grabbed Bertram, forcing him to the ground. Though Bertram struggled, Luke was relentless. Soon, he was able to grip Bertram by the neck. He did not hesitate to snap the other bear’s neck, ending the battle and ensuring the safety of his one true love.
Kalia heard the sound and knew Luke had been victorious. She leapt from her seat and ran into the ring of battle. Oblivious to the crowds and the corpse of Bertram, she threw herself in Luke’s arms and he held her tightly to him. They were safe now and there was nothing that could ever keep them apart. Though he was wounded, he was alive and safe in her arms and she could not imagine a better feeling.
“You're alright,” she murmured, running her hands over him to feel for injuries that she had not been able to see from her seat.
“Yes, much better now that I'm looking into your eyes,” he said, placing his bloody hand on her cheek.
“You let him hurt you,” she said, turning her attention to the bleeding wound on his chest. She pulled out her handkerchief to try and stop the blood, but the wound was deep and she knew that it would require stitching when they got home.
“I assure you, I didn't do it on purpose,” he chuckled, amused at her fussing over him.
“You will have a scar on your beautiful chest,” she sighed, earning her another laugh from her love.
“Yes, but it will be one that I earned keeping you safe. I'll cherish it as I cherish you,” he said as he buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent and savoring her closeness.
“I love you so much,” she said, looking up at him and seeing their long future together stretched out before her. She could not recall seeing anything so beautiful.
“And I love you, now and forever,” he said, swooping down to kiss her. It was only then that they were reminded of the assembled crowd, because everyone began to cheer loudly, with the occasional bawdy comment mixed in. She blushed immediately, but Luke beamed with pride.
“Let's get you home. You need to rest and heal,” she said, giving him her shoulder to lean on.
“I'll follow you wherever you lead,” he said, more passively than she could ever remember before.
Yes,
she thought,
he needs stitches and rest.
After they made the slow journey home, with him leaning on her shoulder, she cleaned all his wounds and stitched the large one on his chest. She then applied the special healing salve her mother had taught her to make to each of them before bandaging them and getting him comfortable in their bed. She had managed to get him to eat a bit of soup before he fell deeply asleep. Then, she lay down beside him and listened to his breath and the beat of his heart and relished the fact that he had survived to come back to her.
Hours later, in the darkness of the night, he began to stir. She had not moved since he drifted to sleep and was so relieved to see him coming to. He'd slept so soundly she worried that he'd an internal injury that she had missed.
“How long have I been asleep?” he murmured.
“Nearly six hours,” she said as she helped him to sit up.
“I'm sorry to have kept you waiting,” he teased her with a sleepy smile on his face. To see him joking around and smiling eased her worry. He would heal and they would live a long and happy life together.
“Don't be silly,” she said, sitting next to him and running her hands through his hair, relishing the feeling of having him so close to her again.
“I assure you I was being most serious,” he said with a smile.
“Well, that's good, because I need to discuss something serious with you too,” she said, mustering her courage to tell him what she had come to realize as she lay there beside him in the silence.
“What? Is something wrong?” he asked, trying to rise from the bed but she stopped him before he tore his stitches.
“No, at least I don't think it is. Maybe you'll feel differently though,” she said, wondering if he would take what she was about to share with the joy and excitement that she had.
“Tell me,” he demanded, looking as though he was about to enter another battle.
“I'm with child,” she said plainly.
She had realized it as he lay there sleeping. She had been listening to his heartbeat and his breath when she heard another heartbeat that was not her own. It was small and faint but it was healthy and coming from within her. She had known then that their baby was growing inside of her.
“A child,” he said in awe.
“Yes,” she said, placing a protective hand on her belly.
“So soon?” he asked, looking concerned.
“Are you very disappointed?” she asked him.
“When I defeated Bertram and knew you would be safely mine forever, I thought I could never be happier. Now I know that I was wrong. This is the happiest I have ever been,” he said gently, putting his hand over hers on her stomach and staring at her in wonder. She realized then that he was not at all disappointed. He was simply amazed as she had been that their love had created a new life within her.
“Thank god,” she said, kissing him gently.
“Thank you. Thank you for giving me a family,” he said, before kissing her again, this time deeper.
As his hands began to make their way to her backside, she lost all doubt that it might take him long to heal. He was a man of determination and he would be his healthy happy self in no time for her and for their unborn child.
The days that followed were such a sweet time for Kalia and Luke. Each day, their child grew larger and stronger in her belly while their love grew deeper. Kalia had never known it was possible to be so happy. Luke, for his part, doted on her. He had always dreamed of being a father and he loved nothing more than pressing his ear to her stomach and listening to their baby's heartbeat.
Once Luke healed enough to be able to move about again, he insisted on building them a sturdy cabin to replace their tent. Kalia argued that she didn't want a new home. She loved their tent and the memories they'd made there. It was there that they'd conceived the baby she felt growing inside of her. It was there that they'd become a family.
Still, he was stubborn about it. He insisted they needed a sturdier place to raise their child. One particularly beautiful summer evening, as they lay in each other's arms, the argument revived itself. His insistence that they needed to make plans for the home, so he could begin building it before the baby came, was a source of frustration to her as she tried to simply enjoy the quiet moment in his arms.
"I don't want to give up our tent. I've just made it a home for us," Kalia argued again as she lay in Luke's arms. There, upon the pillows and surrounded by candles, she felt as though they had a world of their own in the tent and she didn't want to give that up for the formality of a cabin.
"We'll move everything from here into the new cabin. You'll see. It'll be even better because we'll have more room for the baby. Where would we put a baby in the tent?" he asked, kissing the back of her neck and pulling her back gently against his chest.
She tried to pull away a bit because it was nearly impossible to argue her point when his warmth surrounded her. The feeling of being enveloped in his arms always made it hard for her to keep her thoughts straight.
"I know we will eventually, but for now, we don't have to rush. Perhaps you haven't seen one before, but babies are tiny things. We could put a small bassinet there in the corner and we'll all be together. It'd be magical, the three of us here in our little nest," she purred.
"You'll not dissuade me from this. It's fine for us to live like gypsies, but once we have a child, that has to change," he said stubbornly.
"You act like this wasn't your home. This was yours first. I like that. I like that it feels like you. Every inch of this place speaks to my soul. Don't make me move behind four walls. I've never slept in the fresh air like this before. It makes me feel so connected to my bear instincts. Now that the child is growing in me, it's even stronger. I don't want to lose that," she whispered as she snuggled back against his warmth.
"That's not fair, my dear. You know that I want nothing more than to see you happy, but it's not logical. This place is where we got our start. It's where we came to be a family. I would never let that go. It's in this place that I'll build our new home. We'll be even happier than we are here. I promise you," he said solemnly.
"My love, I don't doubt that, but I don't need it. All this baby and I need is you," she sighed, savoring in the sound of his heartbeat and the babies in sync with each other.
"Change isn't as bad as you might think. After all, it was change that brought us together," he pointed out, hugging her close.
"Yes, our lives did change and now we are as happy as any two people have a right to be. Let's not tempt fate," she said, her face red with anger but her voice broke, betraying a deeper meaning to her words.
"I'm a fool," Luke said as he froze, realizing for the first time just how afraid Kalia truly was.
"No darling, you aren't. I know you're being wise. I'm just being stubborn," she said, cuddling close to him.
"That's not what I meant, my dear. I meant I should've realized the real source of your hesitation. I'll not let anything bad happen to you, myself or our baby. Our happiness isn't going to be shattered like your family's was when your father died. Things are changing. There's no helping that, but I promise, things are going to change for the better," he said, pulling her close and wrapping her in his strength.
"This tent, here with you, is the first place I've really felt safe since my father died. Since that day, I've felt like I'm just waiting for the next attack to happen. It's only since I fell in love with you that I've felt protected. I know nothing about that will change if we move in to a new home, because you'll be there, but it's hard to leave behind this place that has meant so much to me. We made a home and a love here," she sighed as she lay her head on his chest.
"I don’t want you to doubt for a moment this place means as much to me as it means to you. I've been happier here than I've been at any other point in my life. Still, I'll make our new home that much more special. It'll be built for us and our child. It'll be an expression of us. You'll love it. I swear," he said, kissing the top of her head.
"I trust you," she whispered, as she began to drift off to sleep, enveloped in his warmth.
Luke lay awake for some time, feeling the beat of her heart against his chest and listening to her gentle breathing. Faintly, he could hear the heart beat of their unborn child within her and he swore to himself as he had sworn to her, he would make sure his family stayed together and safe, no matter what was to come. He lay his hand on Kalia's stomach with a gentle possessiveness that she could sense even in sleep, nuzzling closer to his warm embrace.
The next morning, Kalia woke to find Luke watching her intently. His gaze was so full of love that it took her breath away. As long as her home was with him, she knew it'd be a happy one.
"Good morning," she said sleepily.
"You look lovely this morning," he said as he gave her a gentle kiss that sent butterflies fluttering about in her stomach.
"I believe you're a little biased. Aren't you going off with the other warriors today?" she asked, seeing he seemed in no hurry to rise. He looked as though he was content to lay there with her for as long as she chose, which was just fine with her.
"Yes, I am. It’s still early. What are you planning to do today?" he asked without making any effort to leave their bed.
"I think I should go and see my family. I haven't seen them since the battle. I'm sure they're quite worried about me," she said gently, trying to push thoughts of that terrifying day from her mind.
"Besides, you have some news to share with them," he said, caressing her stomach.
Though she wasn't yet showing the life growing inside of her, she knew he could feel it and she relished the feeling of being so connected to her little family. With great reluctance, he pulled himself from the warmth of their bed and prepared to leave for his duties to the tribe.
Once Luke was gone, Kalia pulled herself from the bed and forced herself to dress for the day. If not for the excitement of telling her family she was with child, she might've laid there the whole day, just waiting for Luke to come home. Still, that wasn't an option. She had to live her life, even when he was forced to be away from her.
Still, now that his child was growing inside of her, the desire to be near him was nearly unmanageable. She knew it was the mother bear instinct inside of her, urging her to keep all those she loved within arm’s reach of her, but that didn't lessen the feeling of the instinct within her.
Slowly and leisurely, she enjoyed the walk to her mother’s cabin. So much had changed in the short time since she'd last been to visit. She'd always been a child in her mother’s house. Now there was a life growing inside her, making her a mother. Kalia greatly looked forward to her mother’s guidance because she could already feel changes within herself and her emotions. She knew her mother’s advice would help her to manage such things and she was also overjoyed to bring new life to their family. The thought of her little brothers running about with her own child warmed her heart, though she feared they might be a bit jealous. They'd always looked upon her as a second mother; she didn't want that to change, even when she'd a child of her own.
The one thought that really played on her mind as she drew closer to her family home was that Luke had yet to form a relationship with her family. She hoped to see that change as her baby came closer to entering the world. Her instincts were telling her that it was necessary to build as large a family circle around the baby growing within her as she could and she needed her family near. She didn't want her family with Luke to be separate. She wanted it to be an extension of that family that had formed her.
It was those thoughts that filled her head as she heard the laughter of her brothers echoing from the cabin yard. They were running about, tumbling and wrestling. The sight of such unchecked joy was such a wonderful sight that she couldn't help but join them in their laughter. As soon as they heard her, they jumped up and ran to her. She knelt down and hugged them close.
“Kalia, Luke fought so hard for you,” the first cried as he hugged her tight.
“He's a fierce warrior,” the other said in amazement.
“Yes, he is,” she said with a smile. “One day, you'll both have to be just as fierce, my little loves.”
“We will be,” they said in unison, running off and wrestling again as though they were practicing for their future as warriors. Though she loved to see how they looked up to Luke, she hated the thought of them one day fighting for their lives as Luke had. She wanted nothing more than to freeze them in that moment, playing warriors rather than battling as men.
“Kalia, my daughter,” her mother cried as she came running across the yard and squeezed her in a tight embrace. After all that she'd been through, it was wonderful to be in her mother’s arms again.
“Mother.” She sighed, holding her tight.
“How's Luke? Is he healing well?” she asked with real concern.
The expression on her mother’s face told her she'd been fearful his wounds might've been too much for him to recover from. She felt a chill run through her, remembering with horror how it had felt to see him wounded in her name. She pushed the image from her mind, trying instead to focus on the positive things the future held.
“He's doing well. He's off with the other warriors. I wanted to let you know how well he's doing. I know you must've been so worried during the whole ordeal. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to come and see you,” she apologized, feeling tears form in her eyes.
“I was afraid, my child. I was so worried when the chief called me to the lodge. I knew that it must've been about and I was sure Luke would forfeit you. I'm sorry, my dear, but I was sure he wouldn't fight for you,” her mother said, looking sad as she wrapped her arm around her.
“I was surprised then too, Mother. I have to tell you the truth, though. I love him and he loves me. I know that now. It's the one thing in this world I'm sure of,” she said, patting her mother on the back as shock registered on her face.
“So soon? How has he come to love you already? You're charming, of course, but he's a hard man and you knew so little of each other before you were mated. How has love grown so quickly?” her mother asked, shaking her head in disbelief
“We were destined to be. We complete each other. I know it's grown quickly, but that doesn't make our love less true. He risked his life for me. He fought for me because he loves me and he didn't want Bertram to come anywhere near me. He did it because he wanted me to be safe. It wasn't because he wanted to keep me as his possession. He did it all for love,” she said with a smile on her face, as she thought of the moment when he had told her how he truly felt.
Her mother’s expression told her she was still not entirely able to grasp the truth in her words. “If you love him, Kalia,” she said warmly, “then I'll love him. He will be a welcome part of our family.”
“Thank you, Mother! He's not the only addition to our family, though,” she said with a teasing grin.
Her mother paused and looked closely at her daughter. In the silence, she cocked her head to listen closely as she absorbed what Kalia was hinting at. “What am I hearing?” her mother asked in shock. Kalia took her mother’s hand and placed it on her stomach.
“You're hearing your grandchild,” Kalia said as she watched the expression of joy spread across her mother’s face. The woman had known so much loss in her life. It was wonderful to be able to give her such happiness and hope.
“A grandchild! Oh baby, your father would've been so proud of you. I can hardly believe it myself. It feels like only yesterday you and Mali were running about as the boys are. Now, you're a grown woman with a warrior as a mate and a baby on the way. You'll be such a wonderful mother. Really, you've been helping me to raise your siblings for years. Now, you'll be raising a child of your own. I can scarcely believe how much things have changed. I'm so proud of you, my little girl. Shall I stop calling you my little girl?” her mother asked, with a gentle smile on her face.
“It'd make me profoundly sad if you ever stopped calling me your little girl. No matter how many children I have, you'll always be my mother and I'll always be your daughter. I need your guidance now more than ever. Mother, my emotions have been raging since I found out I was pregnant. I feel my inner bear roaring. I don't know that I can control it,” she said with real worry in her voice.
“My sweet girl, of course your instincts are raging. The most natural and primitive thing that a woman can do is bear a child. Your inner bear will not quiet, even with time. Even now, as you stand here telling me you're having a child, my inner bear wants to trap you in the cabin and keep you here with me always, where I'll know that you're safe. It's our burden as mothers, but it's also the greatest gift. It'll help you to keep your little one safe,” she said with a knowing smile.