I let out a shaky breath before letting my glamor fall. I know my true face isn’t as conventionally attractive as how I present myself. Red veins run down from below my eyes which are completely different now. The whites are completely black while my irises are white without a pupil. My mouth stretches ever so slightly wider, becoming uncanny in appearance. Instead of ears, I have small holes on the side of my head.
Like this, anyone would see a monster.
Anyone but my mate, apparently.
“Oh, Zeke. You’ve been holding onto this for so long, thinking it was something bad,” he says, his fingers tracing the red veins of my cheeks. “You’re not bad. You’re not a monster. You’re still my wonderful mate. You’re still mine.”
“I was so scared to show you,” I confess softly.
“You don’t have to hide things from me. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere, Zeke. Through the bad and the difficult just as much as the good times. You’re it for me.”
“You have no idea what that means to me,” I tell him, leaning my forehead against his.
“I think I might have an idea or two. You mean so much to me.”
I kiss him again, unable to stop myself. He’s perfect. Lady Fate truly knew what She was doing when She picked Casper as my mate. Someone who could see every part of myself and embrace it. Someone who could put my mind at ease. Someone who could love me just the same way I love him.
I pull back, brushing my thumb over Casper’s cheek, imitating the way he’s petting my face. “I have one more thing to tell you.”
“Just one more?” Casper asks with a giant grin, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
“Yes,” I tell him, mirroring his smile. My stomach swoops with affection intermixed with nerves, now for an entirely different reason. “When I was in my phantom form, I saw something.”
“Something? What did you see?”
“I saw that there’s actually three people in this hotel room instead of two.”
Casper chuckles, tilting his head in confusion. “Right,” he says slowly, looking around the room for another person.”
“No, no. That’s not. There’s no one else in the room with us. What I meant was there’s someone else here.”
“You’re not making any sense, Zeke.” He puts the back of his hand against my forehead. “Do you have a fever or something? Was the brain you ate bad?”
I playfully smack his hand away. “Oh my gods. Casper, you’re pregnant.”
“I’m sorry, what? I’m what? It sounded like you said I was pregnant.”
I stare at him for a long moment, waiting for the words to sink in. “Yeah, you’re pregnant.”
“What? But I can’t be.”
“I assure you, you absolutely can. With how much we’ve been doing it since we met,” I say, letting my words trail off. Casper’s eyes are wide, darting between mine before finally, he moves, jumping into my lap and wrapping his arms around my shoulder and burying his face against my neck.
“Holy shit! Oh my gods! I’m pregnant? Are you sure?”
“Very,” I say softly. “Are you happy?”
“I’m so happy I could pee myself.”
I can’t help but snort. “Please don’t pee on me.”
“I won’t. I’ll hold it, I promise. But yes, I’m so fucking happy, Zeke.” He touches his stomach, grinning down at it. “We’re gonna have a baby. Oh my gods, I can’t believe it.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt more lucky that a monster like me was gifted someone like you.”
Casper frowns, pinching my arm. “Don’t call yourself that. You’re not a monster. Would you call our baby a monster if they’re a phantom?”
“Of course not.”
“Then you’re not allowed to call yourself that either.”
My perspective changes in an instant. Our child might be a phantom just like me and no matter how I feel about myself, I know without a doubt that they’ll have the innocence and perfection of a child. We don’t get to choose the vessel we’re born into, but we do get to choose how we’ll treat that vessel, we get to choose the type of person we’re going to be.
I’m choosing to embrace myself.
“You’re right,” I say softly. “Thank you.”
Casper shifts us until we’re laying down once more. He wraps himself around me, trading soft, barely there kisses with me until we’re too tired to keep kissing even a moment longer. Pressed against my mate with his taste still against my tongue and the knowledge that our family is growing leaves me with the most peaceful sleep I think I’ve ever gotten.
Chapter Eleven
Casper
Iflop down against my mate, huffing with amusement when he grunts. I wiggle myself onto the couch that can barely fit me in this form, not caring that my mate is getting a mouthful of my fur.
Ever since finding out I was pregnant, I’ve found myself in this form more often than not. I’m so comfortable in my lion form. It makes me feel like I’m being hugged but like emotionally instead of physically.
“Warn a guy,” Zeke says, pushing me away slightly so he can get his head uncovered. I lay across the couch, my middle across Zeke’s lap. He buries his fingers in my fur, petting me and a rumble sounds throughout the room as I begin to pur.
