NORA POVMy feet have burned holes in the carpet with constant pacing. ‘Viola!’ I call into my darkness of my mind, trying to wake her. ‘Viola, I swear to the Goddess, answer me!’'Yes, Nora?’ She asks, sounding sleepy and exhausted, nausea bubbling in my gut once more.‘Are we expecting a pup?’ I ask. I already know the answer, but I am desperate to be proven wrong.‘Yes,’ she answers, shattering my world slightly. Of all the times to be pregnant, now is the worst time of all. ‘I’ve been protecting the pup. I don’t trust that, Cain.’‘Me either,’ I shudder, thinking of his nice treatment lately, knowing it’s all a ploy to make me complacent. To make me feel safe, but truthfully, the nicer he is, the less safe I feel. It’s like the beautiful weather before a hurricane. Peaceful, but short-lived.‘Should we use the injections?’ I question, as I look out the window into the forest behind the house.‘For now, Cain cannot scent the pup….Taking the injections…’ Viola trails off in her expl
NORA POVMy stomach is sitting in my throat, the pressure from the anxiety making it harder to inhale. To find breath, to find calm. For the first time in the weeks I feel the fear bearing down on me, like a gunman does on its victim.Viola sleeping, resting, and reserving the strength in case we need it for the pup. Neither of us trusting Cain’s reaction when he finds out, and he will figure it out. There is no way to hide a pup, maybe for a few more weeks, but with the way I am vomiting, it’s not likely.Not to mention the way my body is already changing. I caught myself in the mirror after my shower this morning and lord have mercy. My boobs already filling out. Werewolf pregnancies move along faster than humans. In about six months, we will have a little Alpha running around.Instinctively, my hand rubs along my skin, a heartwarming feeling knowing I have Xander’s pup in my stomach. ‘Don’t worry, baby.’ I say silently, not risking the warriors outside my door hearing the comments.
NORA POVTaking the cup from my hand, Bethany places it on the table. Using a gloved hand, she uncaps the vial, dropping a pregnancy test inside. Once the strip is soaked, she recaps the test and places it on the metal medical tray. Replacing the cap to the urine container, she throws the waste in the hazardous bin.“Luna,” Bethany says, her eyes scanning my body, while her nose raises in the air, sniffing wildly. “What did you do?”“What I must,” I respond, raising my chin in defiance. She isn’t the only one who has a family to protect. Horror and awe sit on the woman’s face as she studies me. “I don’t trust Cain’s reaction when he finds out.”Nodding with understanding, she says nothing, joining me on the exam table. Grasping my hand in hers, she gives a gentle squeeze in solidarity. “I'll do what I can to help protect the little heir.” She says with conviction. Stirring pride in my chest, at the love Xander’s people have for him, after years of being away.“Bethany,” I say, glancing
XANDER POVWith each passing day without Nora by my side, I become unhinged. I know the others can see it, in the dark spots under my eyes, the unruliness of my beard, and my short temper. Everything our side has tried to break through the stalemate is futile. I swear to the Goddess the US had better luck in Normandy.Everything we try, it’s like Cain has already prepared for the outcome….Of course he has…”Well, we can try…” Andrew says, dripping with unhinged anger. He looks as bad as I do.“Cain’s trail, remember?” Charity reminds the sleep deprived Beta. The sadistic little fucker has pressure bombs littered throughout the entire forest. A step in the wrong direction sets off a chain reaction.“Fuck!” Andrew screams, his frustration only growing with each night we are forced to stay in this forest.“Not to mention the drones,” Elle adds, typing away on the laptop in front of her. Four monitors spaced out on the desk. She has been on a constant consumption of coffee, her fingers blis
XANDER POVThe lack of sleep has my eyes deceiving me. The woman must be a mirage, a hallucination. A figment, anything other than the mother I lost when I was five. My heart stopping as my eyes graze over the dark-haired woman, her eyes matching mine as she stares back.Her name tumbling out of my mouth in complete disbelief. It’s not possible. She’s dead. She has to be dead, because the alternative is too horrible to contemplate. No, she cannot be alive. This is Cain’s doing. He found a look alike. A way to distract me, and torment me.“Alexander,” she says, breaking through the silence, the timber in her voice tugging at memories I don’t want to recall. Younger versions of myself, they’re fuzzy- like a dream I haven’t had in years.“It’s Xander now,’’ I growl, eyes turning obsidian. Anger surging through me at her insolence of walking in here acting like she fucking knows me?The others in the room aren’t saying a thing, silently watching and waiting for my command. But for the firs
ANDREW POV It’s been days stuck in a Goddess forsaken stalemate, never making a move. The only way to progress safely is to have an advantage, a plan, or some kind of option. Nothing getting us a second closer to our end goal. To be honest, the lack of progress has been weighing heavily. There has been little hope until now. The layers to unravel for advancement seem endless and daunting. Even Elle, the cleverest of our unruly gang, finds the tasks daunting. Which never bodes well for anyone. Her subtle brilliance getting us out of more scrapes than I can count. No, Cain was exceedingly prepared, unsurprising for a man born with the simple destiny of destroying his older brother. No, defeat had become a pipedream of unsurmountable feats. Even Demitri felt the tantalizing grip of desperation. The longer we go without Theo by our side, the emptier we feel. I was on the verge of making a deal with the bloody devil myself, anything to get the love of my life back. To hear his laugh, see
THEO POVNora’s screeching is making the walls shake, a rage I never expected springing forth from her in blinding consumption. Circling around the room, and gripping at me, to grip stinging my skin. In all the time I have known her, the Alpha blood roaring in her veins is noticeable. Unmistakable.“ROT IN HELL YOU BASTARD!” She screams at the retreating footsteps of Cain. Her shrieks reaching an Octave Mariah Carey would covet. The level has my ear twitching uncomfortably as she continues in her distraught tirade.Once the echo of the door closes, my vision is still a blurry mess. I call out into the space, hoping she can hear my ravaged voice. My throat scratchy from the lack of water, the dehydration getting worse by the second.“Nora,” I say, but I doubt much can be heard over her screams of defiance. Resting my head against the wall, I welcome the cool brick against my skin. From her current progression, it’ll be best to wait until Nora settles down before speaking.I don’t know
NORA POV“Thank you,” I whisper, a smile on my face, hearing Theo’s story.“For what?” He asks, shifting himself along the floor with a wince. His voice sounds raw and scratchy. His jaw is swollen and most likely broken. Cuts run along his body, and some burn marks, too. Goddess, what did these monsters do to him?“For seeing Xander as he is,” I return, closing my eyes so I can see him. I miss him. My heart has done nothing but search for him since being trapped here. Everything before he came into my life seems like a fever dream, unreal.When I think of my life before him, it’s like I am peering through the looking glass of another person. “Xander is like a brother to me. I like to believe that I was meant to find him that day.” His words break through the internal tangent I am on.“How long did he stay with you guys?” I question, wanting to know more. Needing to know like my lungs need oxygen.“He never lived with us,” Theo chuckles, recalling the memories. “After Xander left his pa