~Layla~
“You were going to let me kill myself knowing a child was growing inside of me?!” I growled as I stood in front of her.
Analise stood to her feet and lowered her head with a calming gaze and relaxed posture. She wasn’t scared or tense. She was taking everything for what it was, knowing full well that I couldn’t hurt her in spirit, but I could hunt her down once I woke up. There was something about hearing the life of my child being threatened that caused a different instinct to kick in, or perhaps it was the same protective instinct, only it was heightened to a whole other level that worried me deeply.
“Would you have wanted me to tell you? Because let me tell you now how that would’ve panned out. I tell you you’re carrying your first child. You hear that someone you love dearly has been killed, and in pregnancy, everything you feel is heightened. The grief would’ve destroyed you, but you would have found a light in the darkness, the kicks of your child and the sound of the tiny heart that beat with yours. Then, the day would come when Nathaniel would carry out his plan. I tell you what needs to be done. You go out there knowing full well that the only way to save everyone is for you to die, and to make it so, the child you’re carrying must die as well, but you can’t; you can’t take the innocent life that brought new purpose, and because of this you do not carry out the deed on yourself which leaves Nathaniel, strong and unstopped, succeeding in his plans of a full-scale massacre.” Her eyes penetrated mine in a hard glare, and the wind that had been brought into the house and swung between the pots made its way out through the door, and the windows closed.
“That was the future we had ahead of us. That’s where we were headed despite my hope that we wouldn’t. Your baby changed everything; it almost made that other path for you obsolete, but I refused to put one life ahead of thousands.”
“That life was my child,” I breathed in disbelief.
“Would you not have done the same thing?” she asked me and raised her head as her brows furrowed.
Perhaps I would have. Hell, I most certainly would have. “What happens now?” I asked as my eyes flickered away from hers.
“Now you carry that beautiful child of yours. Once it’s time, I will help you deliver the child, and then we will proceed from there.” She grabbed my hands and licked her lips. “This new path only guarantees one of your lives,” she said.
I nodded and bit down on my inner cheek. “I’m aware.”
I was pregnant with Kade’s child. The only thing that mattered now was that the baby be born healthy and away from this madness. There was just one other thing that could get in the way of that.
“What about Nathaniel? He’ll notice when I start showing,” I said.
Analise shook her head. “That is what changed. Jackson is dead, and Nathaniel can’t leave him outside the pack because people will start to ask questions. He will go to retrieve the body, and when he does, you and I will make sure that the baby is born safely and is gone before he gets back.”
Her words were comforting, at least for now. Actually, handing over the baby would be another story, but I could trust Analise, couldn’t I? She would never do anything to harm my child, though she almost did once.
“You’ll know when it’s time. Until then, stay safe and try to stay hidden. The bracelet will mask the baby’s scent, and once you start to show, you must hide the bump. Pregnancies go much faster for you werewolves, so you don’t have many weeks left. I’ll stay in touch,” she said as she walked me to the door.
I woke up and sat in the bed. It had been a long time since I met Analise, and seeing that she was doing well was nice. Kade’s scent still lingered in my nose. I smiled, knowing he was not too far away from me. However, at the same time, it terrified me to think that he could’ve been caught.
A shiver passed through my body at the thought, and I dragged a hand over my face, feeling how puffy my eyes were. I turned my head and looked to his side, but Nathaniel still hadn’t come. His side was still made, and the pillow was as puffed as before. I patted the pillow on Nathaniel’s side and slowly stepped out of bed. The lights were getting brighter outside, and I went to part the curtains.
Children ran out of the houses and down the little hill to where they would practice. So innocent and pure. It pained me to think that they might get harmed when this all went down.
I slowly dragged my hand over the little bump that was barely visible, and I thought of how my baby would look.
I hope the baby gets Kade’s eyes. That was the only wish I had.
The days passed on with little excitement. I didn’t leave the house once because Nathaniel didn’t come to escort me. He was out most of the days and only came back every other night to sleep and ensure I was still in my place. He would look around the room as if to see if I had dug a tunnel to escape through, and then he would change his clothes and leave in the morning, not to return until the day after. Whenever I walked the corridors at night, I heard the moans and the thrusts from the throne room. I assumed he barricaded himself in there with the girl of his choosing each night.
We had dinner together a few nights. Then, I was ushered out of the room when the night’s entertainment stepped in. Nathaniel still asked me each time if I wanted to stay. He started playing with the girls in front of me, and for some reason, it bothered me how happy they were. Their entire lives were about pleasing him in any way he demanded, and they took it with ease and delight.
Two weeks had passed since my meeting with Analise. I stood in the mirror, watching as the bump started to show. Two weeks ago, I would’ve had no idea I was pregnant if they hadn’t told me.
Now, I saw as the child in my belly grew bigger. I remembered my mom telling me that babies grew mostly during the last month of the pregnancy, so it would go fast from now. The first month focuses on the genes meshing together and protecting the child from our healing abilities; the second month was all about the senses. Every piece of energy went toward ensuring their abilities and strength, and in the last month, they started to grow.
I threw on a hoodie to cover myself up in case Nathaniel walked in. Then I went for a walk around the house. I rounded the corner of the throne room and peeked my head inside out of curiosity.
Nathaniel stood there with bags in his hands, talking to one of his fighters.
“It’ll only take a few days to scout the area and retrieve the body,” he said.
Nathaniel stopped talking. His head slowly turned, and his eyes landed on me.
“A curious girl, aren’t you,” he said with a smirk.
I put my hands in the hoodie’s pockets and held it out in front of my body.
“Are you going somewhere?” I asked him softly. I made my voice sweet and delicate to make sure he didn’t sense any tension in it.
“I’m leaving to bring Jackson back home. Even dead, he still belongs here,” he said.
Jackson was at Kade’s pack, which meant Nathaniel was going there.
I bit my tongue and smiled.
“Have a safe trip,” I said.
Nathaniel leaned in, pressed his lips against my cheek, and inhaled a deep breath.
“Don’t worry about me, darling,” he said and leaned back. “I’ll see you when I get back, and when I do, we’re going to discuss the wonderful future I have planned for us.” He caressed my cheek and gazed into my eyes.
Nathaniel pulled his hand back and handed the bags over to the fighter before they left the house.
“This is bad.”
I know, we have to warn them. Do you think you can get in touch with Kade’s wolf?
“I can try.”
