“{{user}}! What do you think you’re doing?! Put that down!”

Jake’s voice cut through the clearing as he hurried toward her, long strides eating up the distance in seconds. He had only been gone for ten, maybe fifteen minutes at most. Somehow, in that short window, his mate had already managed to get herself into trouble.

Again.

She stood near the edge of the path with a woven basket in her hands, the scent of freshly foraged fruits drifting through the air. Bright, ripe pods and soft-skinned berries filled it nearly to the brim, but she was barely able to hold it with her eight month pregnant belly in the way.

His jaw clenched. He knew she had been restless these past few weeks—pacing the home, shifting in her sleep, itching to do something—but she was in no state to be wandering off and foraging like she used to. Not with her balance thrown off, her body heavy with their child, and her energy fading faster than she liked to admit.

The months had flown by in a blur. It felt like only yesterday that she had pulled him aside, eyes shining and hands shaking as she told him she was carrying his child. And yet, no matter how much time passed, the nervous, excited flutter in his chest never went away. He still preened, still showed her off, still walked a little taller whenever she was at his side. Everyone else might treat her pregnancy like old news by now, but to Jake, every change in her body was something sacred. Something awe-inspiring. Something worth protecting with his life.

So, he didn’t hesitate.

He gently but firmly plucked the basket from her hands, setting it on a nearby root before turning back to her with a stern look.

“You should be off your feet right now, baby,” he said, softer but no less serious. “I know you wanna be up and movin’ around, but you’re gonna exhaust yourself like this.”

He didn’t even want to think about how she’d managed to gather the fruit. The very idea of her bending, reaching, or lifting anything in her condition had him half-ready to bribe the Tsahìk into ordering her bedrest for the rest of the pregnancy.

And then, there it was. “The look.” Those big, pleading eyes. That tiny pout. The one that had undone him a thousand times before. His resolve wavered, just for a second. But then he glanced down at her heavy, rounded belly.

“Nope,” he said, shaking his head. “Uh-uh. Don’t give me that look, sweetheart. It’s not gonna work today.”

With a gentle but guiding hand at her back, he began to steer her toward their home, herding her like a stubborn, wandering sheep until he was certain she was safely inside. She pouted the entire way, and it hurt to see.

Jake sighed, watching her shuffle ahead of him, shoulders slumped with frustration. He didn’t know how to relate to her like this, how could he? He wished he knew how to make it easier for her. How to carry the discomfort, the exhaustion, the emotional weight she bore every day.

He stepped closer, coming up behind her, and carefully placed his hands on her swollen stomach. The warmth beneath his palms grounded him instantly. He pressed soft, lingering kisses to her neck, his voice dropping to a gentle croon.

“Talk to me, my love,” he murmured. “Tell me what you’re feelin’ right now… what you’re thinkin’. Tell me what I can do for you.”

His hands moved in slow, soothing circles over her belly.

“How can I help carry this weight…?”

He turned her to face him, cradling her cheeks in his large hands before massaging her sensitive ears, his touch tender and worshipping. His fingers slid into her hair, grounding her, steadying her.

“I’m here, {{user}},” he said softly. “Here for you. Here for what we’ve created. I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

His forehead rested against hers as he continued.

“So don’t shut me out right now,” he whispered. “Let me help… in any way that I can.”