Elaine POV
The beeping sound was irritating. Could someone turn it off? I felt pain in my right hand. Ugh, but I was still sleepy. I cracked my eyes open, and my brother Lawrence’s smile was the first thing I saw. He was obviously smiling at his mate, Rae.
What were they doing in my bedroom anyway?
My gaze landed on Blazer, who leaned on the wall in the corner of the room. This is getting a little weird.
“Oh, she’s awake,” Fran said.
How many people were in my bedroom? I tried to sit up, but my body protested.
“Whoa, don’t do that. You need to rest.” Azaire pushed me back on the bed.
“Azaire, what’s going on?”
I realized I was not in my bedroom, nor was I wearing my normal clothes. It all came back to me in a painful flashback. Avena tried to murder me, and I was pregnant.
“Oh my gosh, I’m pregnant,” I blurted out.
“Yeah, Azaire has some explaining to do,” Blazer commented.
Laughter filled the room.
Almost all my friends were here. Minus Ross and Megan, who could be on official pack duty or messing around somewhere.
Azaire smoothed my hair. “Yeah, you’re pregnant, sweetheart.”
“And… are they-”
“Twins? Yes, we’re having twins. Mom’s over the moon.”
I rubbed my belly. I was just glad they were okay.
“And is Avena…”
“Dead?” Rae finished for me. “Not yet. I managed to get a hold of Lynn, and she says Avena’s weak thanks to the attack Azaire sprung on her.”
My blood boiled. Why couldn’t she remain dead? I had to get out of here and track her down.
“We’ll talk about witches later. The doctor needs to examine you,” he said sternly.
He would be difficult to deal with now that his babies were growing inside me.
“I need to change and maybe take a shower. Do the guys in the room mind leaving for a while?”
My brothers exchanged glances. “Some coffee will be nice,” Lawrence said, standing.
“Azaire has to update me anyway. Where’s your youngest brother?” Blazer demanded.
“Lucas is still in the wind,” Azaire muttered a reply.
Once the guys were gone, Fran grabbed a bag from the little closet in the room. I was surprised the nurse let so many of them in. They probably bullied her to let them stay.
“I don’t need to take a shower. I need to get rid of Avena,” I said.
Fran and Rae exchanged a glance.
“Elaine, Azaire slept in wolf form last night after the incident. There’s no way he’s not letting you hunt down anyone,” Fran said.
“I can’t sit with my arms folded while she’s out there. She’s taunted me too much. She attacked my babies. She doesn’t have a legitimate claim on the twins. She just wants to hurt me. She drove my Mother away again, and now she wants my children. I’m not having it this time. I don’t care what Azaire says. I’m tired now. I want my life back. I want peace,” my voice cracked, and tears stained my cheeks.
The girls looked at me. No one understood my pain.
“What do you need us to do?” Rae asked softly.
“Don’t stop me,” I said.
“I won’t stop you, but you’re not going in alone. Lynn’s strong enough to track Avena but not to come out of hiding. We have to take out Avena’s small group to get to her. They’re obviously feeding her magic and shielding her.”
“She already took out one member of her group, so that’s one less witch to worry about. We have to find her location.”
“This is insane! You’re pregnant, Elaine.” Fran was the voice of reason.
“I know, and these babies have proven to be tough little cookies.”
“Come on, Fran, are you in or out?” Rae frowned.
“Of course, I’m in. What’s the plan?”
I smiled at her and squeezed her. “I owe you one.”
“You don’t owe me anything. You’re my family.”
“Stop, stop! Before I cry,” Fran said, fanning her eyes.
“Okay, I read in the book you lent me, Rae that burning a witch’s bones was the most effective way to make sure she was dead.”
“Oh, if you need a bonfire, I could so do that!” Fran offered.
“We’ll need more than a bonfire. We’ll need to be fast and decisive. I’ll give you some pregnancy-friendly spells too!” She said gleefully.
“Okay, so we have a plan. Now we have to ditch Azaire,” I said.
The door swung open, and Azaire marched in with the nurse behind him.
“Oh, I thought you were finished,” he said, confused.
***
“Your children are stronger than you think, so Azaire, you can stop worrying. No more pacing my hospital in wolf form,” Nurse Leslie scolded playfully.
Azaire stroked my hand. “I can’t help myself. I need to make sure she’s perfect.”
“There’s no such thing as perfect. There will be bumps along the way but the key is not to panic or she will kick your ass. See you two next week.”
Nurse Leslie left us alone so I could change out of the robe and into normal clothes. I was free to go home. However, I wasn’t going home.
“So, Chase’s helping us out,” Azaire said.
I smiled. “And he said he’d never help you!”
“Yeah, well, he’s convinced you’re a saint, and he’s only doing it for you because you made him realize the Blood Moon Pack wasn’t all that innocent. It took a lot not to punch his jaw.”
I giggled. “Don’t be jealous. He really was a good friend.”
“We’ll see. We might have Zoe by the end of tonight. I’m sure she’ll flip on Lucas.”
“Oh, so things will turn out good for both of us tonight,” I said with a racing heart.
“What?”
“Azaire, I’m going after Avena. I’m only telling you so we don’t have secrets between us.”
He blinked a few times. He stepped closer and grabbed my shoulders. “You’re not doing that. I know you can handle her, but not this time.”
“I wasn’t asking for permission.”
“I don’t give a damn. I’m going to protect you.” He trembled.
“If it’s not the twins, it’ll be Shane or Leon. It won’t stop until I end it. I love you, Azaire.”
“I love you more- You’re not sacrificing yourself for this. Let me do it.”
“No one’s dying other than Avena.”
I cupped his cheeks. “I knew you wouldn’t let me go. So, I need you to sleep for five minutes.”
His eyes drooped. “What are you…”
I led him to the bed. “I won’t be alone. I’ll be with Fran and Rae.”
“You better not… Elaine, don’t go anywhere.” He protested weakly.
I kissed his forehead.
The spell was light, and he’d beat it easily, but all I needed was to get out of the building.