Elaine POV
“How long do we have to stay here?” Opal asked.
“Not long, I hope.” I rubbed my arms. I missed Azaire already.
Fran was safe with Blazer. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt her again.
Opal lowered herself onto the couch and exhaled. She rubbed her belly, and I stared enviously. Azaire seemed to have softened to the idea of children. We would see how things went. I offered to bring Leon to the safe house, however, Holly would never allow that.
“I’m exhausted, Elle. I’m getting closer and closer to my due date. Wolf pups are bigger than human babies.”
“What do you need?” I asked.
Opal shook her head. “I need Richie.”
“I’m sure he’s thinking about you.”
“It’s common for wolf pups to come early. I’m just scared…”
“That won’t happen.”
I hoped something like that wouldn’t happen because we were miles away from the Black Claw Pack. Since Lucas declared war on his family, our mates wanted to make sure we were safe.
“Do you want something to eat? The house is fully stocked with groceries,” I offered.
“No, I can’t eat right now. I think I’ll watch a movie to relax me.”
I smiled. “It’s a beautiful house. We’ll tour it later.”
Opal nodded. “I wouldn’t mind Richie and I living here after the baby’s born.”
“It’s in the middle of nowhere, Opal; you wouldn’t last a week without shopping.”
She frowned, but she knew I was telling the truth. Opal loved to shop. I recalled when she dragged me to a sex shop.
“I think I’ll do a quick protection spell around the property. My magic’s buzzing, I think it wants to be let out.”
“Sure. Do you know the Blood Moon’s this week?”
“The Blood Moon?”
“Yes! It’s so romantic; all the lakes and rivers turn red to welcome the moon. Richie told me about it. The Pack has a whole festival to welcome the moon. That’s what we should have been doing instead of fighting with Lucas and the witches!”
I rubbed my arm. I’d never experienced a Blood Moon before. I thought it was a legend.
“Let’s hope this is all over by then so we can enjoy the festival.”
“I hope. This looks like a nice show.”
Opal settled on a medical drama series. As much as I wanted to work in the medical field, I could hardly get through those shows.
I wandered into my room and grabbed a book Rae lent me before we left. I wanted to call Azaire and check in. I couldn’t link him because of the distance and because of my hybrid nature. Dove had been weak since my magic reappeared. My powers, however, were thriving.
Instead of calling the love of my life. I dialled Rae’s number to see how things were going at Shaw Mansion.
“Are you guys safe?” she asked as soon as she picked up.
“Yes, there are a ton of beta guards around here. I was going to do a quick protection spell. I wanted to know how everything’s going. Have you heard from Lynn?”
Rae sighed. “I haven’t heard from my sister. She’s really good at disappearing.”
“You do think she’s okay, right?”
“Yes, yes, of course. I already did that spell- Lynn’s alive. Just hiding.”
“She took Avena’s powers, and clearly not all of them. Someone how that old bat’s gaining more powers. Lynn knows she’s a target.”
“Unfortunately for us we could use her.”
“And my Mom,” I sighed.
“Don’t worry. Elle, we’ll take her down. You were always meant to destroy her.”
“I just- don’t know if I have what it takes to kill someone.”
“She’s already dead, remember?”
The lights in the bathroom came on and went off. This happened for ten seconds.
“Elle, are you there?”
“Yeah… something weird’s going on in the bathroom.”
“Like what?”
I slowly walked towards the bathroom. “The lights keep going on and off.”
“Don’t go in there. Start that protection spell. Avena’s calling you!”
“What does she want?” I questioned as I stepped into the bathroom.
Crap.
A figure appeared in the mirror just like last time. She found us.
“She’s here. She’s strong, Rae.”
“Shit! Get out of there now!”
My phone died, cutting Rae off.
“Your powers have grown, little Elaine,” Avena’s disembodied voice said.
Despite the fear in my blood, I stood in front of the mirror.
“You’re too strong for a hybrid,” she said.
“What do you want? Why couldn’t you say dead?!” I yelled.
“I didn’t deserve to die. Your Father was ungrateful. I did all the work, made all the sacrifices, and he repays me by killing me?”
“You killed his wife, Avena. He could never love you. He didn’t know what love was.”
She threw her head back and laughed, revealing a seat of dirty black teeth.
“She was in his way and my way. Just like you pathetic children!”
The lightbulb above me exploded, and I screamed.
“Being dead teaches you a lot of things, like all the things you could have had when you were alive. You have something that belongs to me, Elaine.”
“I don’t owe you anything!”
“Maybe not you, but it’s in your possession anyway. I will collect it.”
“Stop!” I screamed, and the glass shattered.
“Elaine!” a beta guard yelled as she rushed into the bedroom. “What’s wrong?”
“We can’t stay here. The witches know where we are.”
“Are you sure?”
I nodded. “It’s not safe anymore.”
The beta turned around and started barking orders to his friends. I grabbed my things; thank goodness I hadn’t unpacked. My phone was dead so I couldn’t call my mate.
“What’s going on, Elle?” Opal asked, panicked.
“We have to move. Avena found us.”
“What?” she instantly touched her belly and winced.
Oh, please no, don’t come now.
“It’s nothing. He’s just kicking.”
“We’ll find another safe house. I’ll make sure we’re hidden better this time.”
We hurried to get our belongings in the SUVs and drove off. Three large SUVs drove off the property frantically. We didn’t have time to turn off the lights. As the car made it to the main road, I pulled out the book Rae gave me, and I searched for a protection spell.
I found one, but it needed a lot of energy.
Opal screamed and clutched her belly.
I stopped chanting. “What?” I gasped.
“That wasn’t a kick! That was a contraction,” she yelled.
I dropped the book. “You’re kidding.”
“Does it look like I’m kidding?” she panted.
“The baby’s coming?” I asked.
“The baby is coming!” She shouted.
“Shit,” the beta driving the car said.
“How far are we from a hospital?” I asked.
“At least an hour away,” he replied.
“Drive faster!” Opal ordered.
He responded by hitting the gas pedal.