Page 28 of The Wolf's Bullied Pregnant Mate
She gestured at me and then around the room.
“You picked this place,” I told her carelessly. “If your brethren are upset with you, that’s on you. Alex needs to know where I am.”
“Please,” she whispered. “At least make it vague?”
“Fine,” I muttered. “But if he asks for specifics, I’m not withholding information.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
She turned her back to me. I lay down, getting as comfortable as I could despite where I was. Adalyn shuddered when I accidentally brushed too close. We said nothing else as she snapped her hand. The room fell into darkness, and I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the dread creeping in that she could very well kill me in my sleep.
***
The following day, I scoped out the hideaway we were in. It was some sort of cavern, dug into a circular, warm space with etchings of their ancient witch symbols on different walls. I had learned some of their language during my relentless hunt for witches, wanting to know what was coming my way in terms of spells and hexes.
Part of me wanted to one-up them, take them by surprise, at the knowledge of their written language.
I quickly worked out the symbols were: North, East, South, West. I faced North and felt a breeze snake through the cavern. West showed the exit, and South was another area with more symbols, lines, and lines of them. Facing East meant going towards that open archway, towards a pool that reflected light off the rocky walls. The place smelled earthy but not unpleasant.There were some necessities down here, such as camping cooking equipment: a portable stove on a shelf and a coffee machine that didn’t seem to have a wire leading anywhere.
I wonder if ran on witchy magic, I laughed to myself. Either way, I made myself a coffee, dug around for a second cup, before opting to leave Adalyn out. I couldn’t… I couldn’t bring myself to offer her anything that resembled comfort orniceties. Last night had been a mistake, a one-off. And yet it had been a demand in my veins to be so close to her, to claim her. I had seen the bruises I had given her—bruises she’d moaned for in the moment—and now I wanted to never see them again.
I didn’t need a reminder of my own weakness.
I grabbed my phone from my bag and checked for a signal. It was pretty spotty, but I can make a connection long enough for a video call to go through to Alex.
“Morning,” I said, forcing a cheer into my voice. “How are things?”
In the background, I could hear the triplets playing around, their tiny voices pitching higher when they heard me. “Uncle Z!” Hallie called, rushing over to Alex’s lap and clambering up. He angled the phone so all three kids could cram themselves in.
Alex cocked his head at the screen. “Are you underground? You look like you’re in a cave.”
“Yeah,” I answered. “That’s because I am.”
He laughed but then stopped. “Wait, really?”
“Yeah, I’m—” I hesitated. I had told Adalyn I wouldn’t withhold information, but I glanced at her sleeping form beneath the duvet. “There are some caves on one of the hiking trails. We’re set up there until you give us the notice.”
Alex nodded. “It shouldn’t be for long. A few days, maybe. I’ll let you know if it needs to be longer, but…” He paused. “Is everything okay? I didn’t think about the fact you and Adalyn were together when I ordered everyone to stay with who they were with. I don’t want you causing trouble.”
“Me?” I exclaimed. In the bed, Adalyn groaned and shifted before her soft breathing sounded again. I lowered my voice. “Sheliterally cast a spell to lock me down here.”
“Good,” Harper answered, pushing her way in. “As she should. That’s a barrier against a threat. She can protect you before the enemy gets to you first. Be thankful, Zeph.”
“Right,” I muttered. “I don’t need protection. I need to fight.”
And it was true: I had so much energy and tension all built inside of me. I thought last night would have helped relieve some of it, but it didn’t. I was antsy, restless.
“Is Adalyn awake?” Harper asked.
As she asked, Adalyn yawned loudly and sat up in bed, blinking sleepily at me. “Is that Harper?”
“No,” I answered. Then I looked back at the others. “I’ll check in soon. Bye.”
I hung up before any of them could talk more.It’s so they don’t figure out where we are, I told myself, but it was bullshit. I was just being an ass. But the way Harper’s hooded, sleepy eyes found me across the cavern put me on edge. I hated how soft she looked. I needed distance.
“You could have at least let me say hi,” she snapped. “Asshole. They’re not only your friends. I want to know they’re safe.”
“They’re safe,” I deadpanned. I turned away from her and sipped my coffee. I caught her gaze as I contemplated where I could go to avoid her. I didn’t have many options. It was either the pool—which I didn’t trust—or the other cavern room with the paragraph of symbols.
