I feel like a beached whale struggling to get out of bed. ‘Ryker!’ I call out. A moment later I hear Ryker running up the stairs.
‘What’s wrong? Is the baby coming?’ He wonders; I laugh.
‘No, we’re fine; I just can’t sit up. My belly is so huge.’ Ryker smiles and walks over to the bed to help me to sit up, before kneeling beside me and placing his hands on both sides of my belly.
‘I can’t wait to meet you little one. It won’t be much longer now,’ he says, kissing my stomach. Ryker pulls me to my feet, helps me dress, and we walk downstairs for breakfast.
I think twice about sitting on Ryker’s lap when I’m as big as I am. I pull out another chair, breaking our morning routine.
‘Wait,’ he says, standing and sitting down in the chair I have just pulled out. He gestures for me to sit in his.
‘You’re so sweet,’ I say, smiling at him.
‘Only the best seat in the house for you, my love,’ he says, giving me a wink and a smile.
‘Astrid, you must let Hayley and I take you into the city today for baby shopping,’ Mia says.
‘Okay. Thanks. That would be fun; we do need to have a ladies’ day, don’t we?’ I say glowing.
Hayley sits in the driver’s seat of her car waiting for us, while Mia helps me hobble down the front steps to the car. I need Mia’s help buckling my seat belt.
‘Almost got it,’ Mia says, forcing the belt buckle to clip in.
‘If you get any bigger Astrid, we’re going to have to buy a seat belt extension,’ Mia giggles. We all burst out laughing. Click.
‘Got it!’ Mia yells with excitement.
We stop by Jim’s diner on the way for milkshakes and burgers despite the fact I just had breakfast; I’m constantly hungry and constantly eating for two.
‘Do you think it’s a boy or a girl? Have you thought of any names?’ Jim asks.
‘I’m not sure what it is. I’m excited either way. Ryker and I have thought of a few names; nothing set in concrete yet,’ I say, slurping the last dregs of my Blueheaven milkshake. I spin on my swivel seat and look out the window.
‘Is something wrong Astrid?’ Hayley asks.
‘No, I’m sure it’s nothing,’ I say, spinning back around to take a bite out of my burger. I can’t help but feel I’m being watched. Alpha Zenith is dead, so there’s no cause for my anxiety.
Shrugging it off, I focus on my food, Jim, baby-talk, the girls, and the shopping we are about to do.
‘Now that you’ve had your second meal today, we should head into town and actually start shopping,’ Mia laughs.
‘Okay. Let’s fit lunch into that too,’ I say. Mia, Hayley and Jim burst out laughing.
‘Go shopping Astrid, and stop back here on your way back, and I’ll make you another meal,’ Jim says.
‘Woohoo!’ I say, standing up.
‘See you in a few hours Jim,’ I say as I waddle out the door.
We arrive in town and go straight to a baby boutique. There are so many cute clothes to choose from, and not knowing the baby’s gender I restrict myself to shopping for only lemons, greens, whites and greys.
‘Look at this teddy bear!’ Mia says, hugging it closely to her chest. It is a fluffy brown bear with a green t-shirt; it is very cute and soft to touch.
‘I think I’ll buy this for the baby,’ Mia smiles. Hayley comes running over with a pink dragon plushie.
‘I’m going to buy this for the baby!’ She says.
‘Oh, look at all these booties!’ I squeal, picking up a set of every colour, and tossing them into my basket. Mia and Hayley laugh at my antics before we pay for the items and head out the store.
‘Next shop?’ I say, and the girls nod.
‘Let us carry the bags, Luna,’ Mia says. I smile and hand her the plastic bags.
‘These bags are pretty heavy. I might run them to the car and meet you in the next store,’ Hayley says.
‘We’ll see you soon,’ Mia says to Hayley.
Waddling up the road, I tell Mia I need to sit down and rest a moment.
‘There is a park over there. We can sit on the bench seat. I really need the bathroom anyway, so I’ll go while you rest,’ Mia suggests.
We make our way across the road to the park with the gorgeous colourful playground and many trees. A large tree provides lots of shade, so I sit underneath it, watching the children playing on the playground in the distance. I place my hand on my stomach.
I can’t believe I will have a child soon; I can’t wait to meet you.
I hear rustling in the bushes behind me; before I can turn my head to see what it is, my mouth is covered by a hand, and I am dragged backwards. I try to scream but my mouth is stuffed with a rag, and a knife is pressed against my throat. My eyes are blindfolded and I’m shoved into a car; I manage to spit the cloth out and speak.
‘Who are you? What do you want?’ I scream. I want to remove the blindfold but my wrists are quickly cuffed behind my back. The metal cuffs cut into my skin every time I try to wriggle my hands free. ‘Please, don’t do this!’ I cry. A cloth is held against my face.
Chloroform! A few seconds later I black out.
Dizzy and disoriented, I wake to the sound of a car door slamming. I try to sit up but my belly weighs me down. I hear the sound of footsteps, and someone opens my door. I’m dragged out of the car aggressively; tears rolling down my cheeks.
Ryker! You have to help me!
Astrid, where are you? What’s going on?
I’ve been kidnapped!
Where are you? Who has taken you? I’m going to rip their heads off!
I don’t know. They snuck up behind me at the park; I never saw them. I couldn’t link you because I was knocked out with chloroform. I only just woke up. I’ve been dragged out the car. I’m not sure where I am. Please Ryker. I’m scared the baby will be hurt.
I will find you Astrid. I’m sending the pack warriors out to search. Hopefully we can pick your scent up and get a lead.
Please hurry Ryker. I’m scared. I can’t shift to fight back.
I know babe. Just stay calm for your sake and the baby’s. Link me the moment you know who it is or know where you are.
If anything happens to me, I just want you to know I love you so much, and I have never been as happy in my life as I have been with you.
Astrid, don’t talk like that. Nothing is going to happen to you! I love you too.
Hearing the sound of dirt and stones crunching under my feet, I am led God knows where by my captor; I keep asking questions but don’t get a reply. We stop walking and I’m forced to sit down against a pole; one of my hands is released, only to be cuffed again around the pole. Someone drags a chair in front of me; they sit down, lean toward me, and remove my blindfold. My face pales when I meet my captor.
‘Dad?’ I stutter.
‘Did you miss me?’ He asks with a twisted grin.
‘Dad! Why are you doing this to me? You can see I’m carrying a baby. Please let me go,’ I say.
‘I told you I’d make you pay for your mother’s death, or have you forgotten?’ He says.
‘Dad. I didn’t kill her. I know that now. It isn’t my fault she died,’ I cry.
‘Lies! If you would have kept still and listened to her, she would still be alive!’ He snaps.
‘No, Dad. You don’t understand! Zenith killed her; Zenith killed mum!’ I yell.
‘No! A wolf killed your mother because of your incompetence!’ He yells.
‘Zenith was the wolf! He was in love with mum and she rejected him!’ I yell. He lets out a chuckle.
‘Has being pregnant mushed your brain? A wolf called Zenith was in love with your mother, and killed her because she turned him down?’ He says with amusement.
‘Yes,’ I reply. He shakes his head in disbelief.
‘This is going to be hard to believe Dad, but werewolves exist! Zenith was a man who had the ability to shift into a wolf! You never knew, but mum was a werewolf too!’ I confess. He bursts out laughing.
‘If that’s the case wouldn’t that make you a werewolf?’ He asks.
‘Yes, it does. I’m a werewolf. That’s what mum was going to tell me on my eighteenth birthday!’ I tell him.
‘Okay. If you’re a werewolf, prove it,’ he says.
‘I can’t shift—’
‘So, you’re confirming you’re a liar?’ He says.
‘No! I can shift, just not while I’m pregnant!’ I yell.
‘Sure,’ he says, sarcastically.
‘You know, you took something away from me that meant the world to me, and now here you are, carrying something that means the world to you,’ he says, looking down at my belly.
‘You’re not going to hurt my baby,’ I say, worried.
‘Oh Astrid. I’m not going to hurt your little baby; I’m going to kill it,’ he says.
‘No Dad! Please don’t hurt my baby! Please, let me have the baby first, then you can kill me. Please!’ I cry. My Dad laughs.
‘You’re pathetic and weak, and your baby will be too!’
