Landry’s POV“Yes, Alpha King…” one of the doctors confirmed. “I’m afraid we will lose them both if we don’t get them to surgery right away.”Landry was frozen, but he managed to step aside so they could bring Bernice to the operating room.Pregnant? They were having a baby? When did this happen? “What happened?” Jessie asked coming up from behind him. “Did you see Bernice?”“She’s heading to the operating room,” Landry said as if he was in a trance.“She’s going to be okay…” Jessie said, but even her voice sounded worried. “She has to be okay…”“Jessie…” he breathed. “She’s pregnant.”…Cora’s POVCora made her way back to the layer; on her walk there, she could feel the moonlight rejuvenating her powers. But she needed a little more time. She knew the vampire Lord had a potion that could help her recharge quicker. She just needed to get to it.The layer was just outside the werewolf territory; it was held deep in the underground and out of sight. It is a perfect hiding spot to ke
Bernice’s POVI felt a sense of calm washing over me. I was no longer in immediate danger, and everything just felt calm. I dug my fingers into the plush bedsheets, the pillow under my head made it difficult to want to wake. But I felt the presence of Landry sitting beside me.He was worried for me.My mind was also quiet; Julia had yet to return to me. My heart ached knowing she wasn’t with me, but I couldn’t let that get me down. I knew within that time she would return to me. My fingers twitched and I was expecting pain to come after that, but it didn’t.Instead, I heard the comforting sound of Landry’s voice.“Bernice…” he whispered, or so I think he was whispering. I couldn’t tell. He sounded so far away. “Are you awake?”“I think so,” I whispered back.I was a bit afraid to open my eyes, not sure how the light would affect my vision. It might be worth it to see Landry once again.I opened my eyes slightly, only wincing a little as they adjusted to the lighting of the room. Landr
Bernice’s POV“Bernice?” Landry said in a softened and compassionate tone.I was staring at the wall in front of me for a long while.Unable to move.“Bernice, talk to me,” Landry spoke again; I could hear the worry in his voice. “I know this is a lot to take in,” he whispered. “But we can do this. We can figure this out…”How could we figure this out? I’m pregnant.I couldn’t bring a pup into this world; not like this.I was going to die before it was born.I was suddenly kicking myself for being so careful and mindless all those times I’d had sex with Landry.Realization dawned on me slowly as I processed the news.“He let me go…” I whispered, finally finding my voice.“What?” Landry asked, eyeing me carefully.I pulled my gaze away from the wall to peer up at him, tears welling in my eyes.“Alaric…” I whispered. “He let me go. When he found out that….” My voice trailed off; I couldn’t finish that sentence.“When he found out you’re pregnant,” Landry finished for me.I managed a no
Landry’s POVCora was dead. Whoever killed her, placed her head in a box and sent it to him.For what reason would they do this? He quickly closed the box and mindlinked his beta. His beta arrived shortly after, poking his head into his office worriedly. Telling from Landry’s tone, it wasn’t going to be good.“Who was in here?” Landry demanded to know.His Beta looked confused as he stared around the room.“Nobody that I know of, sir,” his Beta said, his frown deepening. “Why? What’s wrong?”“Somebody left me a gift,” Landry said darkly.The Beta eyed the box carefully before approaching it. He gasped loudly when he saw what was inside, stumbling backward in shock and horror.“Is that—”“Now I’m going to ask you again,” Landry asked, his voice deepening. “Who the hell was in my office?”His Beta thought about it more carefully.“There was a maid that came in here earlier. She said she was looking for you. I saw her on the way out. I told her you were at the hospital with the Omega….
Landry’s POVThe last thing Landry wanted to do was ask the vampire lord for a favor. But it was something he needed to do if he wanted to save Bernice’s life. This could be the one ticket they needed: the missing puzzle piece.Bernice looked unsure about the plan; she played with her fingers, avoiding his eyes as she pondered what he was saying.“It might be the only way,” Landry says to her again, keeping his voice soft in case there were lurkers outside the bedroom door. “Bernice, we have to try.”“You weren’t there…” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly as the memory of the previous nights surfaced in her mind. He knew she was thinking about the torment she endured. He couldn’t even imagine what she went through. “It was terrible, Landry. He…” her voice trailed off.Landry wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him.“I’m sorry that I couldn’t find you soon enough…I’m sorry that it took for him to let you go for you to be safe. I’m sorry I let Cora distract me fro
Bernice’s POVLandry returned later in the evening, and I knew from looking at his worn face that the talk with Alaric didn’t go well.He’s out of his mind,” he mumbled, shaking his head in thought. “He’s requesting that you meet with him alone.”“Alone?” I asked, raising my brows. “For what reason?”“He wouldn’t explain further. He said whether you go to him alone, or no deal.”My heart weighed heavily in my chest at Landry’s words. I wasn’t just thinking about myself anymore; I needed to do what was best for my pup.“Do you think he would keep his word?” I asked, I couldn’t hide the worry in my tone.“It’s hard to say, but I certainly don’t trust him,” Landry said; a crease formed between his brows. “What other options do we have?” I asked. “If he really can cure me then maybe…”“And if he doesn’t? What if he takes you again?” Landry asked. “I don’t think we should take that chance.”“He had a chance to kill me when he held me captive in his layer. If he wanted me dead, I would be
Landry’s POV“More diapers,” Bernice said, opening her hundredth gift of the evening. “Thank you so much.”“This is the last gift,” Landry said, pulling a smaller box out from under him; this gift was from him.She rose her brows as she took the box from his hands; he could see the questions on her face.She gasped when she saw what it was.The ultrasound picture is in a beautiful frame with the words “baby’s first picture” engraved.She stayed quiet for a moment as she stared at the picture; tears welled up in her eyes. She was speechless.“You kept the picture?” She whispered.He nodded his head once.“I figured you’d change your mind,” he said to her. “So, I asked the nurse privately if she could print it for me.”She pulled her gaze away from the picture to meet his eyes; a few droplets of tears escaped her eyes and fell delicately down her fair features.“I don’t know what to say…”“You don’t have to say anything,” he assured her.He reached out to grasp her hand in his. Just tha
Landry’s POVLandry couldn’t believe the words that Bernice had just spoken. She finally admitted to loving him; she confessed her feelings to him. By the time he was about to say it back, she was already asleep.Did she mean it when she said that?Was it only in the heat of the moment?He watched as her chest rose and fell; he couldn’t possibly sleep after that. He wanted to just wrap her in his arms and never let go of her. He never wanted this moment to end. He wanted to be able to satisfy her like this all the time, for the rest of their lives. He needed to get that cure from Alaric so they could have the life they dream of.He adjusted her on the bed and placed a blanket over her naked body. As much as it pained him to cover her body because he could just stare at her forever. She moved slightly, groggily murmuring something he couldn’t understand.Landry leaned down, pressing his lips against the nape of her neck, smelling the light scent of strawberries, and feeling her soft fl