Page 79 of The Dark War

“Sorry, I thought you knew. Kane said it was because of my alpha hearing,” I babbled. “Come to think of it, you have a different smell too.” Kane pulled me back into his chest.

“It’s all right. They needed to know, love.” Kane kissed my neck as I nuzzled closer to him.

Jasper sat Taliyah unceremoniously on the table. The table glasses clinked until his ear went right to her stomach. His arms encompassed her waist as he listened. His smile widened, pulling her into a hug.

“I’m going to be a dad!” He squeezed her tight, twirling her around the table. “You hear that, everyone?! I’m going to be a father!” Howls from the Crimson Shadows pack joined in on Jasper’s celebration.

Jasper’s old warrior friends gathered around him, hosting him up on their shoulders like he was the one that was carrying the pup. They handed him beer mug after mug, forcing him to chug it down. They were all so happy, except there was part of the crowd that was not.

Vermillion’s citizens all looked on not in hate, but in confusion. Their fears of what their country’s new heir would be swirled in their minds. Would it be a werewolf pup? A vampire? A witch or warlock? Would they be willing to give up the idea of being ruled by a vampire when the time came? Vermillion had been led by a vampire, no other species, for centuries.

My gut churned. The thought of more problems even after the Dark War for Vermillion had begun more worries. Members of her Parliament were already whispering to each other. Their worried faces stared at Taliyah as the scene unfolded.

Not paying attention to heated stares, Taliyah laughed and began crying as the overwhelming emotion engulfed her. Kane nodded to me to take care of Taliyah as he stood up with Wesley and Charlotte to join in on their taunting fun of Jasper. He was now hung upside down as everyone tried to get him to throw up the alcohol he had ingested, trying to simulate morning sickness.

These wolves were crazy.

I stood up, taking her in my arms. “This is so wonderful,” I whispered in her ear. “You’re going to be a great mom.” She sobbed into my shoulder.

“But now I can’t protect anyone for much longer. Soon I’ll feel too weak to keep up the ward.” She sniffed. “I’ve failed already.” I shook my head, petting her hair.

“No, no, you didn’t fail anyone, Taliyah. A baby is much more precious, and paying attention to your body is important.” Pulling her back, my hands on her shoulders, I wiped away one of her tears. “And take my advice, pay attention to your body. If the ward comes down, it comes down. We will manage. We have each other, right?”

Taliyah smiled, her hand going to her stomach. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. I knew what that sorry was for, and I wasn’t going to have her feeling guilty.

“There is nothing to be sorry for.” I lifted her chin, my eyes boring into hers. “I am so happy for you, and no, I am not jealous. I have a beautiful daughter already, and fate has other plans for me. I still plan on getting knocked up again, and with any luck, maybe our kids could be paired together,” I joked. “And!” I added. “You won’t have to shift until after your pregnancy. Your wolf is going to be too busy keeping your little one healthy.” Taliyah sniffed.

Pulling her into my arms again, the lights flickered in the trees. The music stopped as a horrible rumble of thunder swept through the yard. The wind blew, knocking over trays of food, tables, and chairs. The entire area went dark, and a crack of lightning raked across the sky, lighting the area once more until it faded to black.

Kane pulled me into his arms, Torin’s hair slowly appearing on his body. The ground shook again. The loud cracking of lighting had us all ducking to the ground. “What’s happening?” I screamed over the noise. Wolves didn’t howl. No one dared make a noise as we waited for the tremors to stop.

To feel the soil beneath your feet shake so violently frightened all of us. Kane planted his feet into the ground, his body being the steady foundation to keep me above the danger. His eyes grew fierce, looking at me the entire time the soil trembled.

“I’m not letting you go,” he said with promise. “Not ever. You will not be in danger any longer.” I stroked his cheek, knowing he couldn’t keep that promise as much as he wanted. We both had a job, and if he went, I went with him.

Even with the tremors of the soil, our love for each other will never waver. The pack house continued shaking until shingles, shutters, and cracks of the foundation broke into our home.

Wesley held Charlotte close, her eyes widening and not just the ground shaking, but her body too. She was petrified, and we all should be. The world was breaking around us, and we had no way to stop it.

As quick as the disturbances came, they ended. The strings of light that once hung in the trees now lay on the ground, fluttering back to light. The breath we all held as a group was let go, and our shoulders slumped.

What exactly happened?

Folen, who stood by one of our most giant trees, a willow that once had bright yellow flowers dripping down its vines, put his ear to the soil. Folen murmured into the dirt, his head cocked to the side as he listened.

Whispering profanities, he jumped up, not daring to wipe the soil from his clothing. “Bergarian has been cut open.” His brother, whom we had now come to know as Tolith, came running from out of the woods.

“Shit, Folen!” he cried. The pack stood in shock, watching him grab his brother. “Beyond the ward, the trees.” His eyes narrowed. “We have to do something!”

Folen turned to us, his brows wrinkled with worry. “The trees,” he muttered to our group. Even with his low murmuring, the entire pack could hear his voice. “They are gone.”

“Gone?” Marcus charged behind Kane and put his hand on his shoulder. Kane put his hand on Marcus’s to comfort his friend.

“Gone, there are no more past the barrier. Before I heard the last whispers, they said…” Folen shut his eyes, his fists tightening. Everyone waited as he prolonged the information he was about to give. Kane gripped me tight, unable to be patient.

“Spit it out, right now!” he barked.

“There is a split in the soil, a break.” Folen now looked at all of us. “It’s so wide none of us would be able to cross and so deep… it may touch the Underworld because laying inside is nothing but fire.”

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