Lily
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say “yes” to forgetting about Wesley once having rejected me. I’m over it, but right when I open my mouth, I hear Eva yelling, “Wesley! She is coming, and it isn’t going to be pretty!”
Wesley sighs and stands up with an irritated expression, towering over me with his beautiful pectoral muscles that almost scrap my nose on his way up. He notices and steps away to give me space. “Who is coming?”
“Mirelle!” Eva is panting behind his bedroom door and opens it with zero regard for us maybe being naked. It must mean that she has had a serious vision. “You still share a bond with Mirelle. It’s dead and wrong, but it’s still there! She knows that you’ve chosen Lily as your mate, and she is furious! I can feel her anger from a mile away! Mirelle is going to hurt Lily and your baby!”
Wesley draws in a sharp breath and glances down at me, eyes filled with concern. I can see the cogwheels turning in his head. “What should we do?” he asks, facing his grandma. “Lily wouldn’t be safer if she went somewhere else. She is pregnant and shouldn’t be traveling. This is her home, and besides, can’t we easily defeat Mirelle?”
“She is stronger than she once was, Wesley,” Eva warns her grandson and gives me a look of sympathy. She is worried about the baby too. “When Freddy brought Mirella back from the dead, he made her into a hybrid. She has dark magic now, and you’re not ready to fight her, Wesley. You haven’t spent enough time practicing your own magic—you would be no match for her in your current state.”
Wesley growls. “But are we even sure Mirelle can’t be reasoned with?”
“We are sure,” Eva confirms. “I saw a vision of Mirelle, and her inner fury blinds her. The vampiric blood mixing with her werewolf blood is already maddening and hard to control. But now, when she has a reason to be mad—her old mate being with someone new—she has finally been pushed over the line. Mirelle wants to kill you both.”
I feel a shiver run down my spine. “Wesley, what are we going to do?” I ask, my voice trembling with fear.
He takes my hand and pulls me closer to him, wrapping his arms around me in a protective embrace. I lean against his chest, but his heartbeat is wild and not calm as usual; even Wesley is scared of what’s to come.
“You’re scared,” I point out.
“Who? Me?” Wesley chuckles in a low tone. It makes me pay notice to the freckles around his nose he has been given from the sun. “Don’t be silly, Lily. I’m not afraid.”
“You are,” I argue. “And you should be honest about it.”
His face softens. “Alright...” A sigh leaves his lips. “I’m terrified of losing you, Lily... There, are you happy now?”
“Why would I be happy? You just admitted to being insecure!”
“Because I love you, okay?” he cups my face in his big hands and looks down at me with serious eyes. He looks so strong, but there is also a gentleness to him. A fire in his eyes that I haven’t noticed before. “I love you so much that now that I’ve admitted to doing it and you’re here and loving me back, I’m terrified something will go wrong.”
“I love you too,” I whisper, but it comes out sounding weird since Wesley is pressing my cheeks together. “And nawthin’ will go wronk.”
He grins at me. “You sound funny when I press your cheeks.”
“Stahp pressin’ mah face...”
“Or what?”
“Or I beat your arse.”
Another chuckle erupts from his lips before he releases me and instead bends down to lean his forehead against mine. “I love you so much, Lily, and because I love you, I’m terrified of losing you every day I wake up, just like how I lost Mirelle,” he grimaces. “Sure, she might be back now, but my heart beats for you—only you, and I’m scared to death of losing you and our unborn child.”
I swallow thickly, close to tears, as I lean against Wesley. He strokes my back, and I bury my face between his large pecs. They are warm and smooth, perfect. I inhale his intoxicating scent. But not even that can calm the raging panic within me. “I don’t know what we are supposed to do,” I whisper.
“We need to find a way to stop Mirelle before she harms you or our baby,” Wesley says, his voice low and urgent.
Eva hums thoughtfully. “I might have an idea,” she says. “It’s risky, but I think it could work.”
“What is it?” Wesley asks.
“I could create a spell strong enough to send Mirelle back to the afterlife,” Eva explains. “But it will take time. I need someone to fight her for at least ten minutes and keep her busy in the courtyard.”
“The pack and I can easily stall her together,” Wesley sounds confident, but Eva shakes her head.
“No, she isn’t alone, Wesley,” Eva says. “In a minute, you’re going to hear your Gamma, Lucas, howl up at the moon, and that’s when the battle will start. Freddy will betray you and fight with the hybrids. Lily’s rogue friends are already hunting with the rest of our pack; they will fight for you, but Mirelle will slink through our defenses and enter our courtyard. She will want to fight you there. You will accept, but you won’t win against her. Your only chance at winning is to stall her until my spell is ready.”
Wesley looks grim but determined. “I will do it,” he says. “I will stall her as long as necessary. Lily and the baby’s safety comes first.”
“Good,” Eva nods approvingly, looking at me. “And you, Lily, you need to hide. You can’t let Mirelle find you in case she would manage to defeat Wesley. You and the baby are the most important to keep safe,” her eyes travel down to my baby bump. “You’re carrying our legacy.”
I nod, feeling the weight of responsibility that comes with carrying the child of the Alpha. “I understand,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “But where should I go?”
Eva smiles, her old, cunning eyes twinkling with mischief. “I have just the place. It’s a secret room within the castle that only a select few know about. You will be safe there until everything is over.”
Wesley presses a kiss on my forehead. “I will find you as soon as I can,” he promises.
I smile weakly, not wanting to let go of him. “Be careful,” I whisper. “I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t.” He gives me one last hug before turning to Eva, his face grave. “Let’s do this,” he says.
Eva leads him away, leaving me alone inside the bedroom. I can hear the howl Eva predicted—Lucas—and feel my heart racing inside my chest. Part of me wants to go out there and help Wesley fight Mirelle, but one look at my pregnant belly and I know that isn’t an option.
Hiding is my only choice. I just hope that Wesley will be okay and that Eva’s plan will work. I don’t want to lose anyone, especially not my new family.