[Mason's POV]
I turned my angry gaze towards Nigel and Ash. Those two were aware of Danica being close to giving birth. Why the hell did they bring up something that could cause her to feel extreme emotion?
"You don't have... " I began, but stopped as Danica shook her head.
Looking up, she gave a smile and shook her head, sending her long, dark curls cascading around her overly plump breasts.
"Thank you for this." She said, looking at Nigel and Ash. "Would it be okay if I took this home and read it?"
"Of course." Nigel responded. "It is yours to do with what you will. Just don't forget to let us know if you find anything about the wolves that we may be dealing with. "
"Why didn't you look for yourself?" I huffed in frustration. "You know her condition, but you do this."
"Mason, I'm fine." Danica sighed, beginning to stand. "Thank you both again."
Wrapping my arm around Danica's waist, I began to lead her outside where the sun was beginning to set.
"You okay?" I asked once we were back in the jeep.
"Hm?" Danica turned her beautiful golden eyes on me as my question sunk in. "Yeah, I don't think I can be too moved by the diary of someone I didn't know."
As her words hit me, I felt a pang of pain rush through me. I couldn't really understand how she felt since I did know my parents. But I knew that if it was Martha's diary, she would have most likely been a mess.
"Right." I sighed, putting the jeep into drive. "I guess you're right."
Despite saying that she was fine, Danica didn't speak the entire drive home. And even if she was trying to hide it, I could feel her tension radiating through the bond. It seemed that thanks to the damn shaman, I would have to take the time to make my woman feel better. Not that I was too opposed.
Since becoming pregnant again, Danica's breasts had grown so much bigger and they looked amazing bouncing while she rode me.
"Get your head out of the gutter before we get to Chris and Bella's." She called, snapping me out of my quickly drifting thoughts. "Heaven forbid they smell your desire."
Laughing, I caught up with her, wrapping my arms around her and resting my hands on her belly. Just as I put them in place, I felt a strong kick from the little dude that was baking inside Danica's body.
"I'm not removing them." I chuckled, taking my son's kick as him saying to stop touching his mom.
"Are you really arguing with an unborn child?" Danica asked with a giggle.
I immediately felt my heart race at how lovely her laugh sounded and found myself wanting to sweep her away right here and now. I was sure Chris and Bella wouldn't mind having Bryllie around a little longer.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice that Danica had stopped until I almost ran into her. Stopping myself from colliding with her, I looked into her eyes and tried to decipher what was going through her head.
"What's wrong?" I asked, frowning slightly. "Why did you stop?"
"I was thinking..." She began placing her hand on my chest. "Maybe Bryllie could spend the night with Chris and Bella."
As she spoke, her golden eyes flashed with desire. It seemed that picking up on my thoughts had gotten her in the mood.
"Are you sure?" I asked, wrapping my arms around her. "I don't want to make you too tired."
"Mhm."
That was all the agreement I needed. My dick was coming to attention and it was screaming to be buried deep in my mate.
Scooping Danica into my arms, I began making my way towards our loft at the top of the packhouse.
Although Danica had wanted to stay in the house that she shared with her adoptive mother, we had decided against it. Given that the trolls and harpies were still somewhere in the world, it just wasn't safe. Especially since we had Bryllie.
"I could have walked." Danica sighed, rubbing her chest against mine.
"I don't want you to overextend yourself... yet."
Reaching our destination, I quickly unlocked the door and headed in. Not wasting any time, I made my way to the bedroom and laid Danica on the bed.
Keeping my gaze fixed on her, I began to remove my clothes, taking pleasure in the look of hunger that was beginning to spread across my mates face.
"What about me?" She pouted, propping herself on her elbows.
Moving forward, I prepared to undress my queen, but stopped as the diary she had received from Nigel slipped out of her jacket pocket.
Looking over in confusion, she looked at the old leather-bound book with an unreadable expression.
"Are you curious?" I asked, letting out a breath.
I couldn't believe that a damn book had ruined the moment. But the reality of it was written all over Danica's face.
"Maybe a little." She admitted, giving an apologetic smile. "It is almost like a safe place for a little bit of my past."
"Yeah."
I knew it was a sore spot for her that she hadn't grown up in the world of wolves like the rest of us. Not to mention, she was all but lied to for the first 18 years of her life. Of course, the diary would call to her like a siren.
"Then how about you read it to me like a story book?" I suggested, plopping down on the bed beside her. "Maybe it will help me calm down."
As I spoke, both our eyes drifted down to the bulge that was very evident in my boxers.
"But…" Danica tried, but stopped as I shook my head.
"You're going to be distracted until you get to take a peek." I said slowly. "So, go ahead and read it to me."
"Alright." Danica sighed, picking up the book and flipping to the first page. "Then, shall I begin?"
[Danica's POV]February 2nd, 1979The Day It All Began...Papa Mackie woke me up early that morning, claiming that there was someplace we were to visit.At only ten, I didn't think much of it. So, I got up and quickly dressed as the excitement of the trip rushed through me.I wasn't the only child to be picked for this trip, Sanders and Rosette were chosen to go as well.Once we were all finished getting ready, Papa Mackie loaded us into a carriage that was waiting outside the orphanage. Once inside, we began our journey.I vaguely remember the way now, but I remember going deep through the forest leading far away from the small town we lived in. We continu
[Danica's POV]Disbelief rolled through me as I blankly stared at the spot where Bryllie had just been."Danica, look out!"A gasp escaped me as Mason's warm, strong body slammed into mine, pushing me out of the way just in time to avoid having the quickly crumbling roof fall on top of me."We need to go." Mason growled, getting to his feet."But..." I whispered. "Bryllie...""We will find her." Mason insisted, yanking me to my feet. "But if we
[Danica's POV]I searched around the quickly crumbling building for the source of energy that was drawing me. I didn't know what it was or what I was looking for, but dammit, it was like a siren's call.Extending my senses, I tried to determine the direction of the energy.'That way.' I muttered, shooting past a falling piece of roof, easily dodging it before it came crashing into my back.What I was looking for was just up ahead, and if I could just reach it, I could get the hell out of this crashing building.
[Danica's POV]I woke up to find myself in a strange room with a soft glow illuminating me. I was on a large white bed with fluffy pillows and a down comforter, but my wrists were cuffed to the headboard.There were barred windows on either side of me that allowed me to see figures roaming about."Hey!" I called, hoping one was close enough to hear. "Someone! Let me go!"Despite the urge to struggle, I remained calm. I needed to consider the innocent child in my stomach. Any wrong move could be detrimental to it.
[Mason's POV]All the lights were on when I arrived at Nigel’s shack in the middle of the forest. I didn’t bother knocking as I kicked in his door, startling both him and Ash."What?" Nigel huffed, beginning to stand."I need your help, old man." I growled, storming forward."What has gotten into you?" Nigel demanded, as I grabbed the neck of his shirt. "Where have your manners gone?""How do you locate someone when you don’t know where they are?" I demanded, ignoring his question.
[Danica’s POV]"How much longer?"A day had passed since I woke up in this strange room. A day wasted being a prisoner in a place that was claimed to be my very own. I didn’t have time for this. My daughter needed me, and I was wasting time."HELLO!"I knew that being annoying probably wasn’t the best solution to getting myself free sooner, but I was running out of options. The sooner they get the damn DNA results, the better.‘And if you are their future leader?’ A small v
[Danica’s POV]Many eyes found their way to me as I entered the small meeting room with Dax. Despite knowing that I should have felt insecure about their looks of distrust, I felt a small pull towards them, as if I had known them my whole life."Who is this?" A man with a buzzed head and blazing red eyes, set deep beneath a protruding forehead, asked Dax as we made our way towards the table. "Why have you brought an outsider with you?""There is no outsider here." Dax snapped, shooting the man a glare. "Clarence, this is my granddaughter..." For a moment, Dax paused, remembering that I currently didn’t have a name. "Her name is Xena."Xena… it had a good ring to it, but I couldn’t help wondering why he had chosen that name."Granddaughter?" Clarence repeated, letting a bark of laughter escape him. "Since when have you had a granddaughter?""Since we discovered that Xavier left an heir behind before he disappeared." Dax beamed. "And aside from that, I have nothing else to explain to yo
I fiddled with the irritating mask that sat on my face as Asher and Nigel spoke with a bored-looking guard at the entrance to the Black Forest packgrounds.Three days had passed. Three agonizing days of not having my child or my mate in my arms and finally it was the night of the ball.Despite myself, I was feeling nervous about this whole thing. Now that I was here, I wasn't sure how I would go about getting Danica to come home with me. As far as I knew, she still didn't remember me, and that meant she may not want to be with me. That thought alone sent shards of pain piercing into my heart. I couldn't and wouldn't let that happen, but I also didn't want to push her away.As I struggled internally, Ash and Nigel motioned through and we were off.Inside, the compound was decorated modestly with low glowing fairy lights and red ribbons, forming the venue area itself on the bare ground below.Two tables sat on either side of the grounds holding food and drinks for all the guests that w