CHAPTER 1

ALORA

“Where the hell is he!? This is important. The thought clawed at my mind. A low growl vibrated in my chest, barely audible. That was my wolf. She was clearly unhappy, and she was having no trouble expressing it.

My trusted slave maid, Anna, was currently driving me to the hospital for my regular prenatal check ups. Her eyes moved from the g****e maps back to the road and back again.

Yes, I was currently three months pregnant and my husband couldn’t be bothered to show up and be present with me to see if our babies were okay.

The car suddenly felt like a cage. I glanced at the seat beside me, where he should have been sitting. My wolf stood on all fours and growled. I tried to calm her down, and took a deep breath as I recalled my mother-in-law’s words from earlier.

“He promised to be there with you at the hospital. There is nothing to worry about,” she had said.

I trusted my mother-in-law –Catherine– who was the current Luna of the Silverback pack.

It was my husband that I didn’t trust. But still, I twisted my fingers together and tried to smile. He would be there. I should trust Catherine’s words.

“Ma’am… ma’am?”

I was jerked back to reality as Anna gently nudged me. I looked up at her, still a little dazed.

Anna looked a little worried. “We’re here ma’am, You should wait outside while I find somewhere to park.”

“Oh…” I looked out of the window, the big white hospital building was in front of me. I cast an apologetic look at Anna as I gathered my bag. “I’m sorry, I’m just a little out of it.”

She bit her lip for a second. “Are you alright, ma’am?” She finally asked, evidently holding her breath.

The action made me smile. Anna had been with my family since I was a little girl. Anna’s mother used to work for mine before she passed and Anna decided to stay on and work for me after that. We were close, but still respected each other..

I offered her a small smile. “It’s Alora, Anna… and yes, I’m alright. I’ll wait out there for you.”

I stood outside, holding my bag tightly while waiting anxiously.

A couple walked by,with a wounded little pup in their arms. I could smell his blood even after they were gone.

I was unable to mindlink since Sebastian was too far from the pack, but his text came in right on time.

On my way.

I didn’t know how long I stood there, smiling at my phone as read my husband’s text over and over again, but the next thing I heard was the shrill sound of Anna’s voice as she screamed my name in panic and the screeching sound of tires against the gravel.

“Alora!”

The car screeched to a halt barely inches away from me. I fell to the floor, protectively wrapping my arms around my pregnant bump.

“Oh my God,” I heard a deep manly voice. I looked up to see a man rushing out of the car and over to me, followed by the pitter-patter sound of my maid’s sandals as she too ran over to me. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

I could hear the stranger’s voice, as well as Anna’s as they worriedly asked if I was okay. My wolf immediately took our skin, baring her teeth as she tried to protect her young. She snarled at the stranger as he came close. I ignored both Anna and the stranger as they asked if I was okay. I shifted. My wolf was ready to attack and I knew from the way she howled at him that she was ready to protect her pups.

He backed up with his hands raised and I shifted back to my human form. Anna was immediately ready with a blanket to cover me. My hands were still on my stomach, and all I could think was if my babies were okay.

“Anna, please get me to the doctor,” I said in a shaky voice as a tear slid down my face.

Wait. Why would I cry?

Was it the pregnancy hormones?

Or because I was so scared of losing my babies?

I took Anna’s outstretched arm and let her help me up. She dusted my dress, and when the stranger reached out to hold me, she frowned and blocked his path.

*****************

Thankfully, my doctor confirmed that the fall hadn’t affected my babies in any way. My babies were okay, that was all that mattered. Or it should have been, but when I looked around, Sebastian was still not there.“Miss…”

I looked up and came face to face with a man. He was tall, that was the first thing I noticed. And his face had strong features.

I raised an eyebrow in question as his dark eyes raked over me. He cleared his throat. “I uh… I just wanted to apologize for what I did earlier. I didn’t realize someone would be there.”

My ears perked up. I’d been so worried about my babies that I hadn’t even properly looked at him earlier. He had a very defined face. His jaw was sharp and chiseled, and he had a little bit of stubble. His plump lips curved as he smiled. And his eyes… they were the most beautiful shade of green I had ever seen.

“Yeah, it’s alright. I shouldn’t have been standing there.”

I made my way to move past him, but he stood in front of me again. His fingers lightly grazed my arm as I abruptly stopped.

“Are you okay? I wanted to make sure you and your baby were okay before I left. I’ll take full responsibility if there’s any problem.”

“How do you know I’m pregnant?”

He smiled softly. “You had your arms around your stomach the whole time and you were only paying attention to it… so I figured…”

“oh…right” I chuckled at my own foolishness. “Yeah, we are,” I looked into his sincere eyes. He was smiling. “Thank you.”

A relieved expression took over his face. “That’s great. I’m glad. I’m Lucian by the way.”

“Lucian,” I nodded. “I’m Alora.” I smiled back at the kind stranger. Many people would have fled the scene, but he had done the honourable thing and even waited to see if I was okay. “Well, thank you again, but I should get goi—”

I barely got my sentence out before I was cut off by a thunderous voice behind me. It carried an Alpha command, and I didn’t have to turn around to know that it was my husband. “Who the hell is that guy?”