"For the first time in my life, I felt as if I mattered. On the surface, I was less than the dirt on someone's shoe. But underwater - I was a princess."
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Born without a wolf, Charlie aspires to be a ballet dancer. But a deliberate sabotage crippl...
Needless to say, this was an even worse fallout. But as I spent the next few months recovering at Harry and Ashley's packhouse, I knew I'd done the right thing. I could never let Brody in again, not when he'd revealed his true colours so shamelessly.
In any case, it didn't matter whether or not I'd done the right thing; with me having removed myself from yet another former pack's base, Brody now had the freedom to go to war with the Keystone pack. As Micah had predicted, this did not sit well with their allies, and the further revelation of Brody's true character had further inflamed old hatreds between the Saltwaters and Keystones.
As for me, I had problems enough of my own to worry about. Being pregnant was bad enough, but being pregnant with Brody's cub was even worse. And it didn't help when GiGi and I found out that Sarah had actually been right.
It was not a pleasant feeling.
Small wonder some days I felt like I was drowning.
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But this made me more determined not to go back. How Brody had managed to spread such lies about himself - and by extension his pack - was anyone's guess. GiGi was angry at herself for having fallen for the lies.
"Had I known, I would never have asked you to swear to them," she said as we sat by the pool. The weather was starting to turn, but such was the packhouse construction I could relax in a bikini, thanks to the enclosed area. And it was just what I needed.
"Don't beat yourself up over it," I told her, squeezing her hand. "Let's just focus on keeping me out of their clutches. Can you trust Barry?"
GiGi hesitated and then shook her head. "I'd rather not take the risk," she said sadly, and my heart broke. Knowing she'd fallen in love with him, this situation was clearly killing her. Mercifully, she herself hadn't ended up with cub to him, as I'd first thought several months ago, so her loyalties wouldn't be tested.
Mine, on the other hand, were getting a beating.
"I don't blame you," I said. "But we've got bigger problems to worry about." I gently touched my swelling stomach and GiGi winced. If this war went in Brody's favour, he'd lay claim to my cub. And I knew he'd cast me aside and not let me raise him or her. And that was something I was determined to prevent.
But I was also determined not to let another male in, not after the way Brody had betrayed me.
GiGi, it seemed, had picked up on Barry's ability to read my mood. "You can't leave that cub fatherless," she said. "I know you've had jack of males, but Brody will not let you or your cub roam free. He won't wait until the battle, either."
I grimaced. "You're right," I admitted, though the words stuck in my throat. "But who can I ask?"
"I'm sure the answer will come," GiGi assured me. "But you'd best pray it comes sooner rather than later. The full moon is almost upon us. And you're due in only a month or two. Time won't wait this time."
