Free Web NovelChapter 240: Chapter 240 Family Trip
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A few days after New Year’s, Elara and Nancy decided to plan a little family getaway. Something quiet.
Just the two families. They found a hot spring resort up in the mountains, about an hour outside the city.
Alpha Dominic booked the whole property. Total privacy. No humans. No interruptions. Just pack.
Orion lost his mind when he found out. He spent the entire car ride firing off questions. Are there fish in the hot springs? Can wolves swim in them? Is the water deep enough to shift? How hot is hot? Is it boiling?
"Buddy, we are not shifting in the hot spring," Yardley said from the driver’s seat, catching his pup’s eyes in the rearview mirror.
"Why not?"
"Because that’s how you get banned from a resort, that’s why."
Nancy smiled and turned to look out the window. Snow covered the trees. The road curved up through the pines. Everything smelled clean and cold. Wild. Like territory that hadn’t been claimed yet.
When they pulled up, the resort was even better than the photos online. Stone pathways lined with paper lanterns.
Little wooden cabins tucked into the hillside. Each one had its own private soaking pool fed by natural spring water. Steam rose off the surface in the cold air.
Orion bolted the second the car stopped, yelling about something he spotted near the main lodge.
"Slow down!" Nancy called after him.
He didn’t listen. Typical pup energy. No off switch.
Yardley popped the trunk and grabbed the bags. "He’s fine. Let him burn it off. He’s been cooped up in the car for an hour."
They checked in and split into two cabins. One for Alpha Dominic and Elara. One for Yardley, Nancy, and their pup.
After they got settled, Orion dragged Nancy outside to explore.
He found wildflowers growing near the edge of the path and picked a handful. Purple ones. Yellow ones. A few white daisies with dirt still clinging to the stems.
He ran back to the little patio where Nancy and Elara were sitting with mugs of tea, blankets wrapped around their shoulders.
"Mommy! Auntie Elara! I picked these for you!" He shoved them forward, stems dripping with soil. "I asked Uncle Dominic first. He said it was okay."
Elara took the flowers and smiled. "Thank you, Orion. They’re beautiful."
Nancy leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "You’re so sweet, pup."
Orion beamed and took off again, probably to find more flowers or rocks or sticks or whatever else caught his attention. A pup on a mission.
Elara watched him disappear around the corner. Her smile faded.
Nancy caught it. "You okay?"
Elara let out a breath and set her mug down. "Yeah. I’m fine. I just... I want one."
"A baby?"
"Yeah." Elara looked down at the flowers in her lap.
Nancy reached over and squeezed her hand. "It’ll happen. Don’t stress about it."
The rest of the afternoon passed in a lazy blur of snacks and card games and Orion chasing squirrels.
--
Later that evening, Nancy and Elara were soaking in one of the private hot spring pools.
Steam rose off the surface and disappeared into the cold mountain air. The sky above them was packed with stars. No light pollution. No city glow. Just the Milky Way cutting across the darkness like a pale ribbon.
The water was perfect. Hot enough to loosen every knot in her back, but not so hot that she couldn’t stay in for a while.
It smelled like sulfur and minerals and wet stone. The kind of smell that meant the water was real. Natural. Not some heated-up tap water in a fancy bathtub.
Nancy let her head fall back against the smooth rock edge and let out a long breath. "Okay. I take back every bad thing I said about this trip."
Elara laughed. "You said bad things?"
"I said the drive was too long. I was wrong. It was worth it."
"I told you."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while. Just the soft sound of water lapping against the sides of the pool.
Every few minutes, a laugh or a shout drifted over from the guys’ pool on the other side of the property.
Alpha Dominic and Yardley were probably cracking beers and talking about pack business. Orion’s voice carried the loudest, begging for someone to throw him higher into the water.
After about twenty minutes, Elara sat up straight. Water sloshed around her.
"Oh, crap."
Nancy opened her eyes. "What?"
"I read something online the other day. You’re not supposed to soak in hot water too long if you’re trying to get pregnant. Something about your core temperature going up too high."
Nancy raised an eyebrow. "You’re getting pregnancy advice from the internet now?"
"I don’t know! Maybe it’s real!" Elara stood up, water streaming down her legs. "I’m going to go find Dominic. Make sure he’s not boiling his balls off either."
Nancy burst out laughing. "Go. Save your man."
"You sure you’re okay alone?"
"I’ll be fine. I’m going to sit here until I prune up and then I’m going to find a glass of wine."
Elara climbed out of the pool, grabbed her towel, and wrapped it around herself. She padded down the stone path, her wet footsteps leaving dark marks on the warm stone. freewebnøvel.coɱ
Nancy settled back into the water. She let the heat sink into her shoulders, her lower back, the tight spots between her shoulder blades. She had spent the whole day chasing a six-year-old with more energy than a border collie. This was the first time all day she had been able to just stop.
She closed her eyes.
The water moved gently around her. A breeze stirred the pine needles overhead. Somewhere down the hill, someone laughed. free𝑤ebnovel.com
She let herself drift.
