A Winters Memory

Chapter Thirty-Four

The time came for Dahlia to present her tonics to Amelia. She drank the foul-tasting glass of goats' milk. Dahlia had used the winter cherries tonic first. She dried the leaves and crushed them into a fine powder and placed it into a warm glass of goats' milk and gave it to Amelia every night for a week.

When the winter cherry tonic hadn't worked, she tried the most potent. She steeped the dried out flower blossoms of a red clover for four hours along with the dried leaves of the red raspberries and mixed them together with just a bit of honey and decided to add a little something extra, as she wanted to make sure that she could get every ounce of its magic in it, she added just a bit of winter cherry powder and hoped that it would not make Amelia sick instead.

Dahlia was practically grasping at straying hay straws at this point. If this didn't work, then there had to be something wrong with Amelia, herself and not the herbal drinks or Alec's ability to impregnate her.

When night came, Amelia would drink the three-herb mixture for the next three days. She hated to say the words, but it was either do it or have it all fail. Alec would be forced to bed Amelia every night for those three days just for good measure. Dahlia knew that it had to be taking a toll on Alec but that he would do anything to keep Ara with him. He knew the consequences if he didn't succeed.

Three nights passed and as told, Alec spent them with Amelia doing only what he could and leaving it up to chance and up to the stuff Dahlia had fixed for Amelia, now all they could do was just go about their days and wait for the day. After he finished with Amelia and bathed, he went back to his room and laid down beside Ara and nuzzled into her, placing his hand on her belly.

"Do you think it will work this time?" Ara asked looking at him curiously. "I really don't know. I'm praying that it does." Ara nodded her head moving closer to him. "We need to talk about what we're going to do if this doesn't work again..." Alec sighed. He knew she was right. They did need to talk about everything going on and what the plan was if they were in trouble when Amelia turned out not to be pregnant again.

There was only so much disappointment the Alpha could take, and Alec was more than sure that the Alpha would lose it if it didn't go his way as he usually did when things weren't to his liking.

"Do you want to try running again? This time we'll plan more accordingly and take Dahlia with us." Ara looked at him sadly. "Alec, I would only slow you two down, I'm too far along to make that kind of walk." Alec looked down to her protruding belly and closed his eyes. "We can't stay here if this turns out badly. I won't let you go; I won't let him shut you away from me." Ara placed her hand on Alec's cheek. "I know love, I know... But if we run away, I'll only slow us down." Alec placed his hand over hers.

"I'll carry you if I have to, Ara. Please, just reconsider it. We'll leave like we did. Plan everything down to the second. This time, we'll keep everything here and not stop to pick anything up. We'll keep it all packed up in our rooms, tell Dahlia to do the same and we all leave the moment everyone is fast asleep. We made it last time; we lasted two days without being caught. This time we'll be prepared." She sighed.

"What if we get caught? Then what are we going to do?" Alec shook his head. "I don't know, but if it comes down to it, I will always choose you, you know that. I will do anything in my power to make sure that nothing happens to you and that you are safe." Ara leaned in and kissed his lips. "I know you will." He kissed her back and moved down to kiss her belly. "I'll do anything to protect both of you, even if that means going up against Michael."

Ara looked at him with wide eyes. "Go against your father? But..." He placed a finger against her lips. "No buts Ara... If push comes to shove, I will defend my family no matter what the cost is, even if it means killing him. You are my life, you both are and there is nothing you can say that will change my mind if it needs to happen."

She sighed and nodded her head knowing that he was right. Through their bond she knew that everything he said was true and that he would do anything to protect her and their unborn child and that was what scared her the most, was that he, in fact, would do anything in his power to make sure that nothing happened to them or they would feel his wrath and she had no idea what he held back deep inside of him nor did she want to find out.