Page 79 of Dark Sold Mate

Elle opened her mouth and could not utter anything. And all she did was to stare at Sara, slightly dazed.

“Elle?” Sara lowered her voice to a whisper. “What’s wrong? You’re scaring me.”

“I’m pregnant,” Elle blurted out.

Sara’s eyes went wide. “You’re—what?”

“Pregnant. With Silas’ baby.” A tear rolled down her cheeks. Elle did not know whether these were happy tears or scared tears or both. “Sara, I’m pregnant.”

The biggest smile Elle had ever witnessed filled Sara’s face. She shrieked so loud that a few of the people in the reception area turned to see what was going on, then pulled Elle into a tight hug.

“Oh, my God! Elle! That’s amazing! I’m going to be an aunt!”

“Shhh,” Elle hissed, looking at the reception area. “I don’t want anyone to know yet.”

Sara drew back, looking confused. “Why not? Silas will be thrilled.”

“Will he? Sara, he has never mentioned wanting kids. We have never even talked about it. And I’m human. What is to become of it, should he not want a half-human child? What should I do if he believes I have done this intentionally to trap him? What if—”

“Okay, stop,” Sara grabbed her shoulders. “Elle, Silas loves you. He’ll love this baby too.”

“You don’t know that. You can’t know that.”

“I do know that. I know my brother better than anyone. Well, except Rael. And I see the way he looks at you.” Sara’s voice grew softer. “The way he speaks of you behind your back. Silas adores you, Elle. He will be ecstatic about this baby.”

Elle wanted to believe her. She hoped with all her heart that it would make Silas happy, that he would not regret their bond, that he would love this child as much as she was beginning to love it herself.

But fear was a great force, and Elle dreaded her and the child being rejected.

She shook her head. “I am not ready to tell him yet. I just need time to figure this out. To process.”

Sara sighed. “Okay. But you must tell him soon. You cannot keep a pregnancy a secret.”

“I know. I just... I need a few days. Please, Sara. Don’t say anything.”

“No, no, I won’t. I will not tell anybody anything, not even Rael.”

Elle exhaled deeply. “Thank you.”

“But may I at least be excited with it?” Sara’s eyes were bright with excitement. “Elle, you are going to be a mother! And I will be the best aunt ever!”

Elle couldn’t help but laugh, the sound resigned. “You’re already planning baby showers, aren’t you?”

“You bet I am. But first, we need to celebrate. Just us.” Sara linked her arm through Elle’s. “Ice cream and terrible movies. Girl bonding time.”

“I can’t drink,” Elle pointed out.

“Duh. That’s more ice cream, which will make us celebrate.” Sara grinned. “Come on. When was the last time you simply had fun and didn’t think about visions or investigations or pack politics?”

Elle couldn’t remember. The last couple of weeks had been spent in mastering how to manage her magic, assisting in the investigation, and working on her relationship with Silas. She actually hadn’t relaxed and enjoyed herself since she came back.

“Okay,” she agreed. “Ice cream and horrible films sound exquisite.”

***

They spent the afternoon on the couch back home, devouring ice cream directly out of an ice cream tub and crying during rom-coms that not only made them laugh but also cry. Sara described her childhood with her brothers and sisters, how Silas was when he was a boy, how he was a tease and dominating even then, how he had been so serious, and how he had sobbed the whole week when their childhood pet died. Elle was more open, and she shared more about her years in the human world with her.

At some point, Sara looked at Elle and murmured, “You are so strong. I do not think that I would manage to go through what you went through and still be able to love and trust people.”