Instead of looking forward to the birth of my son, I was wondering if I’d ever even get to see him. It was painful to think I might lose my son before I even had the chance to meet him and that his mother might be lost with him. What would I do without them? Who would I be? A wolf without his mate isn’t a good thing. I think I’d slowly go crazy without them.
I bit my lip sharply, drawing blood, and looked down at the barely touched bowl of homemade chili. So much for the appetite I’d worked up.
Bentley and Christian sat down across from me, watching me with sharp eyes.
I forced myself to bring the spoon to my mouth and eat the chili. I avoided their wondering gazes, not in the mood to talk. My reprieve from feeling was gone. I wasn’t a wolf anymore. I was back in my human shell, trapped here where I could do nothing but wait. And waiting really sucked.
Nineteen.
Sophie
Travis sat on the end of the bed, staring out the window. This was the first time he’d ever opened the curtains and the sun nearly blinded my eyes. I had grown so weak that I couldn’t even lift my hand to shield my eyes. Not that I’d be able to anyway, being chained up and all.
He’d been sitting there for at least ten minutes. He didn’t say anything. He just sat there, staring into space, lost in his thoughts.
“Sophie?” The sound of my name startled me and I jumped slightly.
“Yes?” I croaked.
“I want to show you something.” He still didn’t turn to look at me, his gaze was fixed firmly on the window. “Come outside?”
“I-I don’t think I can move,” I admitted, even though the thought of getting outside sounded heavenly. I hadn’t felt the sun on my face or breathed in fresh air in months.
He turned to look at me for the first time since he’d opened the curtains.
“I can carry you.”
He was already standing, undoing my bindings, and holding out his arms to gather me against his chest. I cringed, unable to control my reaction. I didn’t want to be that close to Travis.
He pulled me into his arms and my head lolled against his muscular chest. His arms were strong and firm around me. If it weren’t for the fact that he didn’t smell like Caeden, if I closed my eyes I could pretend he was.
I tried to look around as he carried me from the room, but I was too weak to move my head.
My head thumped against his chest and I knew we had to be going down steps. There was a creak and then I felt fresh air touch my cheeks. I inhaled the air greedily, letting it flood my lungs. It felt so good to be outside—to feel the air and to hear the sounds of nature. If only I was strong enough to pull out of his arms and run away from this nightmare.
He carried me further and further away from the house and into the woods. He was surprisingly tender and made sure not to jostle me. The moments like this made me wonder if Travis really was the bad guy. Maybe he was just completely misunderstood and there was more to him than we knew. I guessed I wanted to believe there was good in everyone.
“We’re here,” he whispered in my ear, skimming his lips along my cheek. Ew.
He lowered me to the ground, but held tightly to my waist so that I didn’t teeter back and forth.
I looked around at the mounds of dirt everywhere and felt completely confused. “I’m confused.”
“I need you to understand why we’re doing this, Sophie. I’m not evil—not completely at least,” he shrugged, like it was something he said often and I shouldn’t be completely freaked out.
“What is it that you’re doing?” I asked, my heart racing rapidly in my chest.
“I wasn’t making the mutants to kill you and Caeden, although I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t like to see him dead,” he said quietly. “I got permission to make them.”
“Permission? From who?” I continued to stare at the uneven mounds of dirt.
“From the elders,” he whispered.
“Oh, God.” I was going to throw up. “Why?”
“Because,” his voice was steady and calm, “it’s about time shifters were revealed to the world—that we’re on top.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.” That was a lie. I knew what he was saying. But I needed to hear it.
“We’re going to start a war with the humans, Sophie. We can’t just walk out and transform, they’d hunt us down and kill us—or try to at least—but if we start a war, they’ll have no choice but to bow down to our superiority. You and me, we could rule this world.” His fingers skimmed over my collarbone and I shivered at the touch—and not the good kind of shivers that Caeden could produce from me. Anytime he touched me, it made me feel dirty. I didn’t like it at all.