"I won't look like that until I'm over 2000 years old, Emira." Eros seemed quite amused at my creative imagination, because the corner of his handsome lips curled upwards in response.

2000 years old?

Are you kidding me?

"Eros, I don't even know if the earth will be around that long," I mutter underneath my breath, unsure of what my future is going to look like.

Since my lifespan is going to be elongated to match his, that means I will be living over 1000+ years. I'm not too sure I want to live for 1000 years.

What the heck am I going to do for that long?

Sit around and watch the paint dry?

No, seriously.

I would go nuts.

"There are plenty of things that we can preoccupy ourselves with," he said with this slight twinkle in his eyes that makes the hair on my arms stand on end.

I narrow my eyes at him.

He better not be thinking what I think he's thinking.

You know what, I'm not even going to ask.

I had a nightmare after reading his mind that first time. There's no way that I would want to do that again.

Sending him a warning glance, I tiredly plopped down onto the bed with a long sigh.

"Tired?" Eros asked, lips brushing against my ear while his arm circled around my shoulders to pull me up against him.

I shook my head and said, "No. Just overwhelmed."

And really, I was overwhelmed at the amount of people in this pack. Even my mouth felt stiff and strained because of trying to keep a smile on my lips the whole enter time.

It may have been a couple of hours, but I felt as if it was way longer than that.

I can't imagine how long it would be if we had completed the entire ceremony.

"Why didn't you tell me that you waived all the ceremonies?" I asked, trying to interrogate him before I forget. "I could have done a thing or two."

He glanced down at me and said, "I didn't want you to be too stressed over it. The ceremonies aren't important. You being my mate and Alpha Female is enough."

"But what are the pack members going to think of me?" I groan in disbelief. I know that their image of me isn't the greatest but, at this rate, I'm sure it won't get any better.

The words stubborn, lazy, useless and human seem to resonate in my head like a continuous mantra.

Do I even deserve their respect?

"You don't have to worry about what they think, Emira. You're the Alpha Female. There's no one you have to please...other than me," he said teasingly to lighten the atmosphere and make me feel better.

I heaved a sigh and chose to disregard the last of his words.

Eros hand stroked across my back, comforting me in the best way he knew how.

For some reason, I felt as if Eros was willing to back me up no matter what I did.

Wrong or right.

If I were to become enemies with the whole world, he would be the only person by my side, protecting me and supporting me the entire way.

At that thought, my chest felt tight.

"Why are you so good to me, Eros?" I mutter morosely, face pressed against the collar of his dress shirt like a sullen cat.

"Does there need to be a reason, Emira?" He kissed the top of my head, strong arms collecting me against him until I was comfortably situated on his lap. The sense of safety and warmth was quick to surround me, making me feel immediately at ease in his arms.

I remain quiet, lips pressed into a firm line and waited for an answer.

Eros sighs.

"Because I want to," he finally breathes out, warm breath fluttering the hairs on the top of my head as he speaks. "Because I love you."

I remain quiet for nearly 20 seconds, lips pinched thin to keep myself from getting too emotional. How does he always manage to make me so speechless with his words?

Every single damn time.

"Thank you," I croak out through a choked up throat. I couldn't get anything else to come out of my mouth. And if I could, I would have slapped myself.

He tells me he loves me and all I reply with is a 'thank you'.

What is wrong with me?

My shoulders droop, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. The words to reciprocate his feelings would not come out, no matter how much I wanted to say it back.

It was heavy in my chest, burning and hot.

"I understand, Emira. I can wait until you're ready," Eros said.

I was afraid that Eros would be impatient with me, but the calm expression on his face and the way his eyes seem to soften tells me otherwise.

Eros must have seen my memories.

I've never really talked about it, but my 'family' life was a big mess before I was adopted by Anira's parents.

Yes.

Adopted.

Anira and I are not related.

My birth mom was a drug addict and I've never met my father. In fact, I don't even know who my father is.

Supposedly, my birth mom had a one night stand with him and ended up having me. She didn't know his name and couldn't even remember what his face looked like either. I didn't expect much from her, because, over the years, I lost the courage to believe in anything she said.

When I was 10, she met a man who she thought she loved. He was abusive, drunk from morning to night, obsessed with gambling, and just as addicted to drugs as she was.

He thought I was a nuisance, because the little money he had to spend on me could have been spent on his alcohol.

My mother and I ended up living with him for 2 years before he managed to get rid of me. For a woman who had a child and was dependent on drugs, it was fairly easy.

He called DCS in on her.

And being that I was so malnourished, barely skin and bones, they didn't have to do much research to prove that she was negligent and abusive in the care of me. Not when I was getting second hand high in their presence.

I was around 12 years old when I was adopted by Anira's parents. They were looking for a friend to grow up with Anira since they weren't able to have anymore kids.

As to why our names are similar, I changed my name when I was adopted.

My real given name, by my birth mother, is Annie. Because it was so similar to Anira, I decided to change it. Emira was suggested by my adopted parents. It didn't sound like a bad name so I accepted it and have lived with it for over 18 years.

I lived with Anira and my adopted parents for 3 years until Anira got sick with cancer again. You would never guess that underneath Anira's tough and confident shell was actually a very fragile body filled with scars on top of scars.

Anira was brave. She survived cancer 3 times and I admired her for her will to live.

Though, at the time, I was jealous of all the attention that Anira got, to the point that I wished I was sick too. Anira and I fought with each other when she was or wasn't sick. In a way, Anira didn't like that she had to share her parents with me. And I didn't like the fact that I was the one to change my name instead of her.

Because of our constant sibling rivalry/bickering and Anira's sickness, I, once again, became a nuisance.

My adopted parents didn't have the time to take care of me because of hospital visits, work and keeping Anira company. It all conflicted with my schooling schedule.

And by the 4th year, I was under the care of my grandmother, who was also Anira's grandmother. I lived with her for a long while and could not complain one bit, except for her strange hook ups. She was a great grandmother who took care of me in the best way she knew how. I loved the little old lady in all of her quirky and funny ways.

My adopted parents wanted me to move back in with them when Anira got better, but I chose to stay with my Grandmother and attend the local community college. They didn't question it and continued Anira's cancer treatments.

But by the time I was 29, she passed away.

As for my birth mother, I haven't seen her ever since I got adopted.

When she got news that I was being adopted, she promised that she would come get me in a couple of years. But it's been 18 years since I've last seen her and I find myself uncaring if she came back or not.

I don't really know what happened to her and I was afraid to get too emotionally involved again.

Call me cold-hearted if you want, but I'm not willing to dig up that part of my past.

I guess I never believed I would be loved. And if I were to love someone, I was scared that I wasn't good enough, that they would leave me behind like all the other people in my life.

But Eros patience and love was slowly corroding away my state of mind on the matter, making me realize that he was worth me loving wholeheartedly.

And in my heart, I knew he wouldn't abandon me the way that everyone else had.

I never realized it before, but I was fairly lonely before meeting him.

For over a decade, it's always been just me.

"You have me now, Emira," Eros murmured, kissing my temple delicately with a hint of empathy in his actions.

"That's right. I have you now. And you have me." I smiled, kissing the underside of his chin with my eyes half-lidded.

Recently, I've gotten a lot better at reading Eros. Even if he doesn't say a word, I could tell by his expressions. Every wrinkle of his brows, downward curl of his lips or twinkle in his eyes meant something.

Like now, there was a little pinch between his eyebrows and his nose was slightly wrinkled.

I could tell that Eros was bothered by the scents that probably stuck to me from meeting all of his pack members.

Although I was careful not to touch anyone, I am sure that their scent must have transferred in one way or another.

"I'm going to take a shower," I say, untangling myself from his arms and hopping into the bathroom before he could suggest taking one together.

Ha.

I walked into that once.

I am not going to do that again.

Tossing the bathroom door closed, I could hear Eros deep chuckle like hot molten chocolate to my ears.

Ignoring him, I quickly stripped down and took a shower. And as I got out, I was stunned by my reflection in the mirror.

It was weird to know myself, yet not know myself.

Same face.

Same eyes.

Same hair.

But something was different.

I think I have started to age.

I don't look quite 30 years old, but somewhere along the lines of being in my mid 20s.

This is a lot better than looking like a teen forever. And I wonder if Eros ever thought that he was sleeping with a minor because of my youthful features.

Does that bother men?

Pushing that strange thought aside, I noted that this started after Eros and I mated. Perhaps, I've started aging the same as him.

Who knows?

My face seemed more mature, cheeks more sharp, lips more full, and chin more defined. Not only has my face changed, my body has too.

Especially my breasts. I feel like they have grown fuller under Eros constant fondling of them. My waist is more tapered, booty rounder, and legs more firm.

And if I'm not mistaken, I think I've grown a tiny bit taller.

My rather thin petite frame was replaced with a more vivacious figure, without the use of any surgical procedures or exercise. Unless you count exercise in the bedroom.

Okay. I'm not going to go there.

But I can't help but wonder if anything is changing with Eros. I've going to have to thoroughly inspect him, from head to toe, to make sure.

My throat went dry in response to that last thought, cheeks burning with warmth while my lower abdomen clenches.

And there it is again.

The rather strange urges that I can't control lately.

Like this morning, I woke up straddling Eros' waist with my tongue in his mouth.

The most embarrassing part was that my treacherous right hand was down his pants.

Yeah.

You read it right.

I was fondling Eros goods while I was sleeping.

It didn't look like he minded, in the least, but I couldn't fathom why I was so horny all of a sudden. And it's not just a day or two. It's been like this for at least a week.

He hasn't said a word or teased me on the matter but waking up and finding myself molesting him, while asleep, is making me mind blown.

What in the world is causing this?

Grumbling under my breath, I pulled on a bathrobe, patted my hair dry and stepped out of the bathroom.

Now that I think about it, my appetite has been fairly good lately too.

And if my train of thought and suspicions are correct, I think I might...slightly...maybe...could be...

"Pupped." Eros voice startled me out of nowhere and I lost grip of the towel in my hands.

"Pupped? Pupped what?" My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"You are pupped," he stated, as if talking to a little baby.

Eros' large hands enveloped a portion of my belly, hot against my flushed skin. He stroked my stomach through the fabric of the bathrobe rather endearingly, as if he could see these 'pups'.

I unconsciously took a step back.

"Excuse me?" I gawked, mouth hanging open as I tried to put two and two together.

Then, I was gobsmacked by the seriousness of his words.

"Pupped?" I whispered in disbelief, hand covering his and eyes wide in shock.

No way.

"Yes, pupped. In other words, pregnant," he announced.

"I know what that means!" I remarked, smacking his shoulder.

Eros shrugged, lips curling higher into a wide, pleased smile.

"How long have you known?" I feel quite shell-shocked at the moment.

"Your scent changed just now, more ripened and sweet," he replied, taking a step closer towards me.

My brows wrinkle at his description of my scent, not quite understanding what he was saying.

Ripened?

Sweet?

"Are you sure it's not just the body wash?" I asked.

The stern and serious expression on his face thoroughly managed to dispel any qualms I had over the matter.

"But how?" I whispered out absently, very tempted to bite my fingers in nervousness.

Eros proceeded to drop onto his knees in front of me, nuzzling his face into my tummy with this adoring look in his blue eyes.

"Did you think that those vigorous rounds of love making wouldn't lead to this?" He stated the words with a satisfied smirk, a hand twining long strands of my hair in his fingers before pulling on it and making me look down at him.

I knew that no contraceptives worked on Eros' seed but I didn't think that I would be pregnant this quick.

Truthfully, I don't know how I feel about this.

But from what I could tell, Eros seemed to swell with pride. I could feel his ego inflate like a hot air balloon at full capacity.

Ugh.

Men.

I bit on my lip, backing up slightly when he stood up again. Eros' body towered over my slight form, casting a shadow over my face.

His eyes glowed as his head dipped forward and soft lips brushed against the corner of my mouth, tongue lazily smoothing across the parting of my lips.

"Quit trying to distract me," I muttered out, hands pressed against his muscled chest in an attempt to get some space. Although, I felt my body unconsciously lean into his warmth and my limbs become jelly.

"I have to think this over," I continued, ready to make a run for it when his hands encircled my waist, pulling me flush against his hot body.

I could feel his excitement brush against my belly, thick and hot.

"You can think it over later, Emira. There are more important things to entertain at the moment," came his husky reply.

And before I knew it, I found myself in the same position again, obviously on my back and him in between my legs.

And here I was wondering why I was pregnant.

If you act like rabbits than you will breed like them.

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A/N : I'm sorry for the extremely slow updates. I've been busy trying to get another job after I was laid-off so life has been kind of hectic. Thank you to everyone who has supported this story so far and hasn't given up on it!

I also just started a Ko-fi page recently. It is a one time support. Everyone who supports will receive a PDF Ebook of The Alpha's Breeder when it is finished(Most likely the end of this year or beginning next year). There are more exclusive content in the PDF Ebook like Eros POV(Point of view), extra explicit scenes not found on Wattpad or Inkitt and finished edits. Please consider supporting me if you can :) You are not obligated to.

Thank you!

www.ko-fi.com/taytay91