It's been a few days since I found and healed Mason. Theo will be arriving later today. He's supposed to come and take me home, but only he will be going back to his territory. I plan to leave Theo , but I need to break his heart in the process.
I wish I could just leave him, but we all know that Theo would search the world for me. Things were fantastic between us. He'd never leave me alone even if I ran away from him. The only way to make sure he won't look for me is if I break his heart.
Later in the day, I stand in front of Mom's door as Theo walks toward me with a smile on his face. He looks happy to see me. I wish I could reciprocate the feeling, but all I feel is sadness because of what is about to happen.
"Hello, love," Theo says, leaning in for a kiss, but I move my face away before he can make contact. He immediately starts panicking. "Did I do something wrong?" he asks, worried.
"Why don't we go inside and talk," I say, walking inside the house. But before I can fully enter, Theo stops me.
"Whose scent is that I smell on you?" he asks, growling.
"I'm sorry, Theo ."
"No," Theo says, shocked to hear me admit it. I stole a shirt from a random male werewolf and put it on. My plan is to lie to him and tell him I cheated on him. I know it's going to crush him, but this is the only way. It breaks my heart to see him in pain.
"I don't believe you," Theo says, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry. I know I said I'd be patient and wait for you to break the curse, but I couldn't hold it when I saw my old boyfriend." Theo doesn't know exactly how many old boyfriends I've had, but he knows I dated before we got together.
"How could you do this to me, Anastasia?" Theo asks, tears pooling in his eyes.
The Alpha King has tears in his eyes because of me. Will I be able to completely shatter his heart? I can feel my own tears threatening to fall as I feel his pain through our bond. Why was I cursed to hurt the ones who love me? This is too much for me to handle. I just wish I could disappear right now. My heart aches every second I stand here and continue to break his heart.
"You're lying. I don't believe you."
"I'm sorry. I wish it wasn't true, but I'm with child," I say, placing my hand on my stomach.
"Wha-t-tt?" Theo stammers as it sinks in. He sniffs the air for a child's scent. It drifts through his nose. A teardrop leaves his eye and he quickly wipes it away, but I see it.
If a she-wolf is pregnant, she'll have her scent and that of a child's. You can detect a pregnant she-wolf faster than humans can detect their pregnant women. It takes seven days to be able to detect if a she-wolf is pregnant.
The child scent he sniffed is Elena's. I have her in the house, so my plan could work. Every child has the same scent until they are sixteen. That's when my kind get a unique scent.
"I can't believe you did this to me. I never want to see you again in my life," Theo says, turning and walking away from the house.
With every step he takes my heart breaks more and more. I was worried my plan wouldn't work, but even when it did, I couldn't be happy about it. I released my tears once he'd walked far enough away. I place my hand on my heart as it starts to ache because of the pain I'm feeling for breaking his heart. I want to run toward him, tell him it's a lie, and kiss his pain away, but I know this is for the best.
This is to save his life.
***
The following day, I leave with Mason for vampire territory. I didn't tell Mason my plan to give myself up to the vampire king. I know, like Mom, he would be against it. I plan to sneak out in the morning the day after we arrive at his house. I lied to him, saying I'd spend a few days with him to make sure he was okay before I left, so he wouldn't suspect why I suddenly wanted to spend the night after dropping him off.
After an hour or two, we arrive at vampire territory. It's easy to enter since I know I just need to mask my scent to be able to go in unnoticed.
"Wait, let me help you," I say to Mason as he tries to walk on his own to his house door. I quickly walk toward him take some of his weight.
"I'm fine. You didn't have to bring me here. It's dangerous for you to be here."
"I did have to. I'm the reason you're in this situation, Mason, and I'm not leaving until you're fully recovered," I say, walking to his house with him beside me. I have my arms around his waist while his arms are across my shoulders.
"I told you I decided to help you, knowing the consequences. What happened to me is none of your fault."
"As much as I would love to stop feeling guilty, it's easier said than done."
"I know. Hopefully, with time, that will dissipate."
I help Mason to his room and on his bed. I run back to the car to get the medical things I brought and my bag. I cook dinner for myself and clean Mason's wound before calling it a night. Tomorrow morning, I plan to travel to the vampire king's castle. I don't know for sure if the process for reviving the vampire king's brother will kill me, but if it does, I'll die knowing I saved the werewolf kingdom.
Late at night, I wake up feeling thirsty, so I walk downstairs to get a glass of water. I'm drinking my cup of water when I hear something break in the living room. Did Mason knock down something?
"Mason, is everything alright?" I ask, walking toward the living room.
As I walk closer to the living room, I realize the lights are off. I'm about to switch them on the lights when I suddenly feel someone grab my neck. I struggle to remove their hold, but they're stronger than me.
What's going on? I try to sniff the air to find out which species is trying to harm me, but I start to feel dizzy before I can. How are they making me become unconscious? Are they using some kind of magic? Before the darkness entirely surrounds me, I get a slight scent of a vampire. I think I just got kidnapped by a vampire.