Hein“Did you hear what I said?” Daphne threw her shoe at my head. I ducked in time, and it crashed against the kitchen wall.I barely listened to what she said because all I could think about was that Erina was pregnant and the expression on Magnus’ face. She was carrying my pup, and she was gone. Gone.“What?” I said absentmindedly. We had to find her. Erik said he didn’t know where she could have gone. But I’ve watched him with Anderson at the facility. He could lie without so much as blinking an eye. He knew where she was.Daphne slapped my thigh to get my attention. “You knocked me up, you damn dog!” she screeched.“What?” I barked at her, irritated. That woman could cut through glass with that voice. I stood and shoved my chair back, having hardly touched the meal she prepared.She closed the distance, putting her face directly in front of mine. “Are you dense? I said I. Am. Pregnant!” clipping every word.I blinked and stared at her flushed face, her glittering eyes. “Pregnant?
ErinaI went into the gaudy woman’s apartment against my better judgment. But it was already late, and I would kill for a place to shower and sleep. I followed her into the living area, which looked decent enough but had a lingering smell of cigarettes and something I was unfamiliar with. She did not invite me to be seated, and so we stood, intently observing each other. I haven’t eaten properly, and my stomach protested much to my embarrassment.“I have some money, not much,” I confessed. “But I just need to clean up and have a place to sleep. Just for a few hours. I’ll be gone by morning.” If she could throw in a good meal, I would be grateful.She inclined her head to measure me. “And where do you want to go, honey? Let’s see how much money you have.” She held out her hand. There was a ring on every finger except her thumb.I took out the small wad of cash and held it out to her. “I have to go to Chaumont by bus or by train.”She shook her head and took all the money. “I’m afraid t
Magnus“Erina…” My hand wandered across the cold, empty space in my bed, searching for her warm body. Why wasn’t Erina next to me where she belonged? How long had I been out? The last thing I remembered was that Hein and Erik helped me to the car. Bandages covered my left chest, and I felt weak. I have never felt weak.“Erina!” I called out, and my door opened, but it wasn’t her. It was Gisela who answered my call.“Hush!” she pushed me down onto the pillows. “You will tear your stitches.”“Stitches? Since when have I needed stitches?" I asked, bewildered. “Where is Erina? Why isn’t she here with me?”She sat down next to me. “You’ve been out cold for three days, Magnus.” Gisela wiped my unruly hair from my face, a tender look in her eyes.“Three days!” Preposterous. My beast should have healed me. “We saved the pups.”“Yes, they have returned to their packs.” She beamed at me. “They held a glorious celebration in your honor, Magnus. You should have seen it…”I stopped her. “Do they k
ErinaAfter I peeled off the bills to pay the burly captain of the fishing trawler, the driver wished me well and left.“Now you hide yourself in the cabin, Miss. I don’t want any trouble with the men, you understand? They need to work. Can’t have them lusting after a pretty thing like yourself.” The captain, smelling of rum and sweat, hustled me inside the boat. After a stern lecture, his men barely spared me a glance, their eyes hardened and distant. He led me down narrow, creaking stairs to a cabin that reeked of fish and stale cigarette smoke, thick enough to make me gag.“It’s not much, but it will have to do.” He eyed me up and down. “Three days. Think you can stand it?”“I’ll be fine.” I managed a weak smile.Wrapped in Magnus’ coat, his lingering scent offering comfort to my anxious mind, I lay on the narrow bunk after the captain left. It was dark and cramped inside, but I have been in worse situations. This was it. I was on my own.A cold knot of fear tightened in my stomac
Silence. The incessant wailing of the alarm had mercifully stopped. Derik had disabled the system at last.“They will still come,” Anderson sounded positive. “They have too much invested in this project not to investigate.”“We’ll be long gone by then, Anderson.” I shoved him towards the control panel to unlock the containment area. Behind us, the team waited to take the pups to safety.“You’ve kept them like fucking prisoners!” Cedric slammed his fist against the glass separating us from the cells on the other side. “They’re children, and you treated them like lab rats.” “We had to take precautions.” Anderson tried to justify his reasoning. “And we’ve never hurt them. You don’t understand…”I nudged him. “Save it! Just get them out.” The longer he talked, the more I wanted to crush him.The tense excitement of the wolves was a physical presence as we waited while Anderson punched in a code on the control panel, and the glass doors hissed open.The wolves rushed in to take the child
MagnusThe thumping, whirring sound of the approaching helicopter grew louder. I peered at the black speck against the gray, cloudy sky for a second before I joined Alpha Cedric in the car. We sped, tires squealing towards the main gate of the facility.The delivery van was inside, blood-spattered doors flung open wide. Screams and snarls rose over the blaring alarms. No time to waste. I scaled the high wall in my Lycan form. The team followed. “To the main building!” I shouted commands.Armed guards peeled out of the entrance, weapons raised. The wolves attacked with vicious intent. There would be no mercy. We ripped through them, biting, tearing. Their weapons were useless against a pack of enraged wolves.Inside the main entrance, we split up, killing those who dared to stop us. The corridors rang with death cries. A flash of light. Burning pain exploded in my left shoulder. Snarling, I turned to find my attacker. His eyes grew saucer-like when I faced him. Discarding the weapon