Chapter 64: Concerns about Mating Season

Leah's POV:

Jacob slowed the swing down, and he said, "want to get off and talk about it more comfortably?"

I nodded, and he helped me get down. We sat down by the tree, and we just stood there. It got too awkward between us, so I spoke first. I said, "do..you know?"

He nodded, "yeah..my wolf spirit also told me that..you are going to be having our pup in the upcoming mating season.."

So, he knows. He asked gently, "how do you feel about it, Leah?"

I sighed, "I don't know.. happy that I am not..infertile. I can have kids, but..I finally got my life going and now I am told that I will be having a kid? I mean, I would have ..him or her the same, but I wished I did it according to my time, you know? I want to finish nursing school, Jake. I put off school for so long and now that I am actually back in school, now I have to give it up again?"

He nodded, "then finish nursing school, Leah. I support your decision."

I said frustratedly, "but..how is it going to work out? I still have two more years to finish nursing school.. I opted out a lot of classes by taking the AP tests back in high school. Let's say I immediately get pregnant in February. I would give birth in a normal pregnancy like Late-September-Early October? I would still be in school, Jake."

Jacob said gently, "I am going to take my GED next month. After that, I am planning to request a loan from the bank to start up my garage, so by the beginning of next year, I can get it start going. There is a program in the bank to help individuals from certain part of reservations to apply for this loan with a very low interest rate, in order to help the living conditions of the reservation. I have applied for the program, and they are asking me to pass the GED first. Then, I'll be qualified for it. Embry and Quil are going to work for me, so I won't be alone with starting my business. I will start saving for our pup and..future, so once our is born, we have the finances to provide for him. Also, so you can continue going to school Leah. I don't want you to sacrifice your dream. You can have both."

Oh..

I said, "oh. You have thought this through."

He said with a small smile, "of course. It is our future. I want to be prepared for it as much as we can..and if you want, I can ask Paul to build us a house. The council gave me a plot of land when I became Alpha, so once I start making some money in the garage, I can start building our house. I trust the guys. They will be able to build a house for us in a short amount of time. ..It's whatever you want Leah."

I said tearfully, "I..dont know what I want honestly. Everything is just going so fast. I..Hell, I barely warmed up to you and now ..I need to settle down by the time the pup comes around?"

He stretched his arms out, and he said gently, "come here."

I slowly climbed to his lap, and he hugged me while patting me in the back. He said, "we'll figure this out as time passes. We don't have to figure all of this out now."

I nodded mutely as I laid my head on his shoulder. He was purring lowly, and I asked, "what about the fertility claim? Would you and your wolf be able to not give me the claim?I..don't want to get the claim to have a fast pregnancy. Or else, I would have to miss school and stay in doors to avoid suspicion..I don't know how Ale was able to keep her sanity of not able to go out, but I don't think I can handle that. Jake."

He was listening deeply to what I was saying thoughtfully. He said, "..We'll won't give you the fertility claim. You don't need it, Leah. Your body is a lot stronger than a normal person's body to carry a future spirit warrior to birth without any complication. ..My wolf is against with you going to school while carrying our pup, but if I go with you to class or have a wolf by your side, he'll tolerate it.."

He continued with pleading eyes, "..I know you are more than capable of protecting yourself, but when you are carrying our pup, you are more defenseless. You won't be able to shift for awhile..I promise I won't try to sit with you in class or make anyone do that. They or I will be in the area. I promise I'll give you space.."

I get it. I can tolerate that, so I nodded in agreement. I am so glad to hear that I won't need to have the fertility claim. It sounds so much of a problematic thing than a good one. I thought about what Jacob said with moving in together. I kind of like that. I think by next summer, I would be opened to moving in together with him. I am glad that he is patient.

I asked incredulously, "how is that you and your wolf are so patient? If anything, I thought you guys would want to move in immediately."

He said lowly, "We do..but with our given situation, it is going to take time."

I see. He pulled my cheek to look at him. He stared deeply into my eyes and said again soothingly, "we don't have to figure all of this out in one day. We can figure all of this out as time passes, Leah."

He leaned down to give me a slow kiss on the lips. I whispered, "okay."

I asked, "when mating season happens, how are we going to do it? Would I be affecting the unmated wolves?"

He said simply, "only if I haven't claimed you as my mate through a claiming ceremony. If we do, then it wouldn't impact them. They would smell your heat, but they won't be affected by it because they know you are the alpha's mate. The wolf spirit knows better than to go after the mate of their alpha. When the heat comes…it would keep coming until you get pregnant throughout the season…I don't know if you want, but you could spend at the cabin where I stayed during my spirit walk, so that you could have privacy."

I nodded in understanding, but I asked, "You..wouldn't want to stay in the cabin with me?"

He gulped nervously, and he said, "Yes…but only if you are okay with it."

I frowned slightly, "wouldn't you be in conflict with your wolf spirit for that?"

He laughed sheepishly, "Y-yeah, but I can convince him until you give us the word."

I stayed quiet for a long time, so then I said, "I ..would like it if you stayed in the cabin with me during my heat…I wouldn't want to experience it alone."

He said quietly, "okay" and he gave me another kiss. I nuzzled him in the cheek as a demonstration of my appreciation to him, and he purred in response.

I said as I was thinking about the classes that I was going to take during the spring, so I said, "As in for school, I will take the classes that I have to be in person during the winter break, and the classes that I can take online, I will take them during the spring. Then, if there are classes that I have to be in person for the fall, then I will try to take them during the spring break. I might already early in my pregnancy, but I rather take it during the beginning of my pregnancy then I am about to give birth during the fall semester. How does that sound?"

He said with a smile, "I like that, but wouldn't it be too much for you?"

I sighed, "it can be, but I have support. Ale did it, so I can ask her for advice, and the one perks of being a shape shifter, we have photographic memory. We project our thoughts and memories to others in the pack mind. I can just go in a wolf form, visualize the memory of looking the pages through my textbooks and study that way until I am no longer able to shift due to the pregnancy. Paul told me this trick, and that is how he was able to read all of those baby books despite being a work all this time."

He nodded, "That is actually smart. I didn't think about that. I am going to start doing that to study for my GED, and I will tell the guys who are still in school to use this method to catch up with their studies."

I nodded. I exhaled a breath of relief. Talking and planning all of this out, it brought that anxiety and stress that I have been experiencing whenever this topic was brought up. I glanced back to Jacob just enamoring of his looks and his personality. Really, Jacob is the greatest mate that I can ask for.

Thinking about this brought tears to my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. He went through my shoulder length hair with his fingers, and he murmured, "what's wrong?"

I shook my head lightly, and with arms around his neck and burying my face to his chest, I said, "I love you, Jake."

Author's Note:

So, how do you guys like this chapter? Did I make Leah drop the love bomb too soon? I don't know. It felt right. I am still hesitant on this one thing. Do you guys want me to write Leah and Jake doing their claiming ceremony in the next chapter as a smut chapter, or too soon? I really to know. I have been going back and forth with this.

Based on the responses that I receive, I would post the new chapter by Thursday night, or tomorrow night.

As always, reviews are very much appreciated.