THE CAGE (The Chosen Series #3)

CH43. ♙e4 ♞xe4

AVA

I'm struggling to catch my breath, and my head is pounding. Everything within my chest feels constricted, and my lower half feels like I'm about to take the biggest dump of my life. The aftermath of my last contraction has literally knocked the wind out of me, and all I want to do is have a warm bath with my mate. 

The contractions are like nothing I could have predicted. It's like someone has a straw and is blowing up my insides, starting from my lower stomach/back and traveling to my inner hips, then driving the force to my pelvis. I've been constipated once, and even though the pain is similar, the intensity is far worse.

I know now's not the time to give in and be weak, but it's taking everything in me not to curl into a ball and cry. 

I want My Wolf. 

I picture him, his blue eyes with a tinge of green in the right light, and the small dimples appearing when he smiles at me. I need you.

<Doe?>

I close my eyes, unsure of what I'm hearing. Thinking that I'm beginning to turn delirious from exhaustion, I continue to see him in my mind.

<Doe?>

This time there is no mistaking his voice. My heart explodes in my chest, and I squeeze my eyes tighter, focusing on the thread I feel beginning to pulse again. The message is still weak, and his voice is faint, but I feel him. <My Wolf.> I send back through our bond, and warmth instantly fills me. <I can feel you.>

Erin's hand touches my shoulder, pushing me further behind her. I know I should be paying more attention to my surroundings, but with Griffin so close and the bond now open, I use these precious seconds to draw on his strength to speed up my recovery.

<Be with you soon.>

<We're in trouble.> I can't believe that we are only floors apart. But that distance feels like an ocean.

<I know. Help coming. No be afraid.> My Wolf is in control, but his message is clear. Even with the silence from Shay. They're coming.

Fuelled with the knowledge that he will be with me soon, my energy starts to return. With the flare of the bond, hope begins to build in my gut; I straighten my spine. I know I should remain in the background, my child well on his way to coming into the world. But I can't let Erin do this alone. We are in this together.

"Erin," I keep my voice low as I speak her name. The words are whisper soft but loud enough for her ears to hear.

"Let me do this," she tells me, resolve in her tone. Her posture is stiff, her face set forward; she doesn't waver, her focus centered on the five identical men blocking the elevator. Her fists are clenched by her side, and her knuckles bone white. I inhale, and my nose stings at the scent of sulfur in the air. She's drawing her fire.

I haven't been paying attention to the clone's words, but my thoughts immediately zero in on her child. She can't know what her fire might do if she uses it. "Erin," I say, this time a little bit louder.

"I said let-" I ignore her and use the time to step around her body, so we now stand side by side. "Ava." Erin grits through her teeth, but I dismiss her words and stand straighter.

The clones shift slightly, their movements weirdly matching—however, only the middle one tilts his head, his eyes trained on me. The trend is similar to Isla and somewhat disjointed. Robotic. I glare at him, and his unsettling smile widens.

"I suggest you move aside," I tell them, my voice coming out strong and unwavering, even though my confidence is not entirely where it should be. I have no idea what the men are planning or how long they will be. But if My Wolf tells me not to be afraid, that's exactly what I'll do.