"I wasn't expecting him to get you pregnant so quickly." He moved his fingers over her stomach in a circling motion. Rosalie froze, fearing for her babies.
"We are true mates, Rosalie, you know it. Just because Alex seduced you doesn't change the fact." He looked up at her.
"WE ARE NOT MATES ANYMORE!" she screamed. " You broke our bond. I feel nothing for you."
He chuckled. "Silly girl. You can't break the mate bond. I was always going to claim you. Grace was just a minor hindrance. I had a plan. Had you waited, I would have fixed everything." He looked terribly disappointed.
She frowned and shifted uncomfortably under him. She had to keep him talking. At least he wouldn't kiss her or, worse, rape her that way. And she could buy some time. He shifted his weight and laid down next to her. His head was propped on his left elbow. The right hand was still on her tummy.
"Mating with Grace was just an obligation. I wasn't going to have pups with her. I wanted to have babies with you. He looked down and circled her bulge with his finger." This kid could have been mine." He sighed.
"But you didn't wait. Once you would have been pregnant with my child. No one could have stopped me from claiming you as my Luna. There is a law. If the Luna is barren. She can be dethroned, and the Alpha can get a new mate."
Rosalie's eyes grew wide.
"This is disgusting! So, you were indeed planning to make me your mistress."
He smiled. "You were always the smart one, Rosalie; glad you figured it out. Although mistress is not the right word. How about a lover?"
She glared at him in anger. "You are really the worst! What made you think I would agree with such a disgusting plan?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "You love me Rosalie, you would have agreed, it's not too late, we can still fix it. Just trust me."
"Over my dead body!"
His hand tightened on her belly, and Rosalie panicked. What if he squashed her babies? He read her fear.
"I am not a monster, Rosalie; I would never harm your pups. Even if they are from Alex. They are still yours. We'll keep them. I promise I would love them like a real father, but my heir would be our baby. OK? But if you refuse, I am afraid things might turn unpleasant."
Rosalie's heart raced as she weighed her options, knowing the danger of defying him. She had to make a decision that would protect her pups and herself.
"Why are you doing this Chris ?" She weeped,"you were sweet and nice. What's wrong with you ?"
Chris's eyes darkened as he responded, "I have my reasons, Rosalie. Trust me, this is for the best."
"How can it be for the best when I don't love you anymore ?"
Chris's jaw clenched as he traced Rosalie's cheeks, his voice low and menacing. "Love is not a requirement for this arrangement, Rosalie. You will do as I say." Rosalie's heart sank as she realised the depth of Chris's manipulation and control over her.
"You will be mine and have my babies, and Alex would be able to do nothing," Chris smiled as if gloating ti himself.
"That bastard thought he could steal my girl ? Now I will show him…."
"Wait ! You just said that Alex was dead." Rosalie gasped.
Chris's smile widened, his eyes glinting with malice. "Oh, he will be soon enough," he replied.
"Alex is alive ! Chris please tell me. Is he alive ? What have you done to him ?" Rosalie stopped struggling and looked at Chris with a mixture of fear and desperation.
"I will do whatever you say, Chris. Please."
Chris wiped off her tear.
"Now I can't see you crying," Chris whispered, his voice sending shivers down Rosalie's spine. "Ok, I will tell you what I did. Remember the vial I poured into your mouth ?"
"It's a powerful potion that blocks the mate bond so you can't sense each other," Chris explained, a sinister smile playing on his lips. "Alex is alive, but he's not going to be able to find you,he thinks that you are dead, just like you felt."
Rosalie felt relief as well as fear wash over her at Chris's revelation.
"Alex will be broken from heartbreak and by the time he would realize,you would be mine. You will be in love with me, your heart will beat only for me. Just like before."
"Chris, this is crazy ! It's not possible to replace a mate."
"Anything is possible, Rosalie."
He rolled over on top of her, imprisioning her under him.
"Let me show you how much I can make you forget about Alex," Chris whispered seductively in her ear.
Her wolf snapped from the inside. She was consumed by an insatiable urge to guard her pups, which swept over her like a raging inferno. She gave him a blow to the head that was so forceful that it caused him to fall backwards. Although her head was pounding, she ignored it. She transformed and tore her clothes off before running out of the cave as quickly as she could.
While Chris was transforming into his wolf form, Rosalie could hear him roaring and the sound of his bones rearranging themselves. She ran as fast as she could, jumping from boulders to downed trees as she made her way along the obstacle course. She was in the woods that surrounded the Silver Moon estate.
The cave that he had held her in was the same cave that she and Melissa had used to play in when they were younger.
'Alex!' She screamed out into the surrounding void.
Chris continued to gain on her, but she couldn't feel Alex in her mind.
She sped up and performed a few evasive manoeuvres to throw Chris off. Because she spent practically all her time as a child running around and playing in the forest, she had a remarkable level of familiarity with the terrain here. She continued to run for another twenty minutes before she could eventually lose him.
She was worn out, and her muscles hurt from running, so she sped up just a little when she approached an isolated waterfall. She ran through the grass, hopped on the rocks, and dove into the waterfall. Behind it was a cave that had been carefully concealed. This was her second hiding spot behind closed doors.
She was thankful that Melissa had not cleared up the cave after her mating with Alex. After reverting to her human form, she sat down on the blanket and pillow that had been there for a considerable amount of time and closed her eyes.
She was out cold in a matter of minutes, praying that when she awoke, she could feel the mate bond once more. She fell asleep.