Page 68 of The Alpha Wolf Defying Fate

Rory wiped her tears from her cheek and frowned back at me. “What do you mean? Why not?”

“Because he’ll make me go home,” I said. “Then we will never catch Minerva and never end the darkness that could easily come after all of us if we don’t stop them now.”

“You don’t know that,” she said. “You’re an alpha. Even your mom fought against the rogues when she was pregnant with you. It’s not unheard of. Hell, Baer’s mom is a witch and even she fought while pregnant with him. It’s not uncommon.”

“Yeah, but are you honestly going to tell me that Baer wouldn’t rush you back home if you told him you were pregnant?” I said without fully thinking.

Rory’s face fell, and a few more tears followed. She slowly walked around me and sat on the edge of the bed and looked up at me as I walked over to join her.

“Did I say something wrong?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No, not really. It just feels different to me is all.”

“What do you mean?”

More tears fell from her lids as she wiped them from her cheek.

“If I were to tell Baer I was pregnant, it wouldn’t be for the first time, and you are right, he would rush me home. But not because he would think I suddenly couldn’t fight.”

“Rory,” I gasped as it all began to click.

“I never told you; I never even told my parents.”

“Why not?” I felt my eyes beginning to burn with my own tears. “When was this?”

Chapter Thirty-one

Ayden

“Would you look at that place,” Baer said as he nodded towards the buildings we were approaching.

It was the third town we had come across now, though this one looked as though its best days were behind it. Trees grew through the crumbling buildings, the gray stones scattered across the ground at their roots. Even at a distance, it was evident how the nature of this realm had ravaged the once glorious town.

We hadn’t discovered the names of the other two towns yet, but our suspicions were raised by the architecture of the buildings and statues. I sensed that we wouldn’t receive any hints in this next town either, and the lack of that knowledge gave me a creepy feeling.

I had been on edge for days now. Ever since we found more of the witch’s footprints and had begun to follow them, something just didn’t feel right. There was a distinct sense of heaviness in the air that I seemed to be the only one aware of as we moved.

Sasha and Aurora mostly whispered between themselves, their faces bright and flushed with excitement. I wasn’t sure exactly what could have made them that excited. I was not expecting such enthusiasm when we came across the witch, but it was the only notable difference from the days prior to finding the footprints.

Our journey was coming to an end now with each step we took, following the path that the witch had taken herself. I only hoped it would be a happy end for us all.

“You okay, Ayden?” Baer asked when I didn’t immediately respond.

I looked between him and the girls before shaking my head.

“Something doesn’t feel right. It hasn’t for days now.” I said.

Baer chuckled and shook his head. “I think you might just be a little on edge because of how quiet it’s been. Don’t worry as soon as we catch up with Minerva you’ll have somewhere to focus those nerves.”

I sighed and shook my head again as I looked up at the sky. “That’s just the thing though, isn’t it? If we are getting closer to the witch, why aren’t there any safeguards to signal our approach? Why wouldn’t she have some kind of alarm system or guard dogs to meet us before we get to her?”

“Maybe she doesn’t think anyone would be able to follow her here. Who knows what a dark witch is thinking. I’ve read that many are so confident in their own power they become complacent in believing no one would come to face them.” Baer said with an assured shrug.

I looked again at the girls, then at the city beyond them as we came closer to the crumbling rubble.

“Just humor me, will you,” I said. “Keep an extra close watch out for anything out of the ordinary. I can’t shake this feeling that we aren’t out of the woods yet. Something is bound to happen soon, and I don’t believe it’s just meeting up with that witch.”

Baer regarded me for a moment more before nodding his head. “All right, I can see in your face that you’re serious. I’m not one to dismiss such a strong intuition as that. Especially from someone with your bloodline. You moon witches often have strong intuitions even if you don’t have premonitions like seers.”

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