Escaping Death

Chapter 24

~ 4 years earlier ~

Solana

"Are you sure?" I whisper, too dazed to voice anything louder.

"I ran the labs twice," Ember, affectionately known by my siblings and me as Auntie Ember, smiles kindly at me. "About 6 weeks along, maybe 7."

I alternate between laughing and sobbing, unable to distinguish between the two. Light and joy fills my heart, blocking out everything else.

"I take it you and Hunter haven't heeded your fathers' advice?" She purses her lips in a weak attempt to hide her playful grin. It's a little obvious that Hunter and I have continued to see each other, the proof of our love is growing at this very moment within my womb.

Almost three months ago now, what was supposed to be a happy day — the day I agreed to marry the love of my life — everything caved in on us. My great uncle brought home a woman who brought with her Hunter's fated mate, Annie.

I've since learned that Annie felt an immediate sense of rejection when she saw Hunter holding me in my mother's office that day, and again when Hunter ran off with me rather than greet them properly. Apparently she told her brothers, who told their mother, who told my great Uncle, and so on and so on until it reached mine and Hunter's parents.

Both my fathers and Hunter's dad spoke to him. Our dads have always supported our relationship despite knowing that we weren't fated mates, so I'll admit I felt somewhat betrayed when all three of them encouraged Hunter to consider giving his mate a chance.

I do understand where they're coming from. I do. I've never seen a love like the one my parent's have, and as part wolf myself I admit I've thought about the matebond a time or two. But it's hard to imagine feeling this kind of connection – this spark – with anyone else.

Now everything I've ever feared about admitting how deep my feelings truly run are coming true. I finally gave him my whole heart for him to protect and honor against my better judgment knowing this day could come. So I did what I always promised myself I'd do. I stepped aside. I gave him space so that he could move on and start a life with who he was fated to be with.

A week. It took all of one week for Hunter to come knocking on my bedroom door, telling me he still chooses me. He held me like he'd never let go again, he kissed me like he was making up for a year apart, he made love to me like I was the other half of his soul.

I'm sure that was the night we created this new life together, the physical embodiment of our inextinguishable burning for one another.

We couldn't be together as openly as before. He promised to get to know Annie and make an informed decision about whether or not to claim her, and I promised not to interfere. In order to maintain our illusion of respecting those promises we had to be discrete about our rendezvous.

But now I'm pregnant with our child. We can no longer deny that we're together, that we've continued to be together even behind his mate's back, and Hunter will have to formally make a choice. Her or me.

"For what it's worth, I've been team Solana and Hunter all along. I know wolves are different but you're also part dragon, and we don't need a matebond to recognize the person who makes us feel whole," Ember takes my hands in hers and gives them a loving squeeze. "So...when are you going to tell him?"

"Tonight, I think. We have an assignment today with her brothers of all people."

Ember nods reassuringly, "alright, but no heroics. Let the guys do the grunt work."