Fire and Flames

Chapter 27

Rayne

Sage had not said a word since Afton assaulted him. That was over a week ago. All he did was stare blankly at the wall. Even as he looked at the wall, it seemed like he wasn't looking at it. More like through it.

I had started to feel the effects of my pregnancy. I had been violently vomiting up everything I ate. Which wasn't much considering that Afton fed us once a day. My body felt heavy and sluggish like there was a weight pulling me down.

I complained to Dion enough to convince him to move me next to Sage. I never left his side, holding him while he slept and telling him how much I loved him. How brave and selfless he was.

Now as I find myself drifting off to sleep, I feel Sage nudging at my side. I bolt up immediately, wanting to comfort him because he hadn't shown any signs of speaking to me at all.

"Rayne..."

"Sage! Talk to me, Sage!"

"H-have," Sage takes a deep shaky breath. "Have you ever heard in your studies about if an Alpha male can get pregnant?"

My heart skips a beat.

"Y-yes. It occurs when an omega is part of an alpha's close bloodline. There is a chance that an alpha can inherit a womb from their omega parent. It has happened only a handful of times. Why do you ask?"

"I... I think that I am pregnant."

My eyes squeeze shut, my heart aching for Sage. I lean down, pressing my hand flat against his stomach. I reach out to his wolf, gasping when I feel the presence of two pups. Twins.

"Sage..."

"I know... I didn't want to believe it until you confirmed my suspicions. Tell me, Rayne... How many pups are there?" Sage's heart beats fast in his chest. I grasp onto his hand and press my other hand onto his stomach.

"Two. Both male. One pup is an alpha and the other is a normal non-ranking wolf. I'm so sorry, Sage. This would have never happened if you'd let Afton-,"

"No. I would never let anyone hurt you like that. I would rather die before letting Afton hurt you like that. Besides, I feel a strange sense of catharsis after what happened. I feel like I got what I deserved after what I did to Adrian."

"Sage! Don't say that! No one deserves to go through that! You didn't deserve to get raped."

"Rayne... do you think that if we get out of here-,"

"When. When we get out of here. At least when you make it out. I'm not so sure about me."

"Please don't say that, Raynie. I don't want to imagine you dead ever. But do you think that when I... give birth... that Caden would take them for me? Technically both of you could pass off as the biological parents and everyone would be none the wiser about it. Both you and Caden are biologically related to them."

"Why would you want to give them away?"

"I can't keep them. They would be a constant reminder of what happened to me. How they were conceived. I feel like I couldn't be the father that they need if they stay with me. I can be an uncle to them. Someone who supports them but doesn't need to be around them as often. I can be an amazing uncle to them but not a father. I want to pass them off as your pups."

"You can't lie to Caden. To your mates..."

"Yes, I can. I will only tell Caden the truth. Caden can know but not anyone else. Especially my mates."

"Why not?"

"They would want me to keep them. I can't do that."

"But Adrian kept your pup. If he can pull through, then so can you."

"It's not the same, Raynie. Adrian knew it wasn't me controlling my actions. He was able to overcome it because I wasn't me. This is different from what I am going through. Afton wanted me to hurt. He wanted me to suffer. These pups can never know how they were made. I need them to have a loving family. People who can give the pups unconditional love. Don't think this isn't hard for me, Rayne. It's eating me up inside. I feel like I'm abandoning them. But I just can't do this. Please understand."

"Okay... but only if Caden agrees to it. When you see them again, I want you to tell everyone in our family, our friends, even little Flynn how much I love them and I'm sorry."

Sage nods with a slight reluctance, agreeing to deliver my message to the people I love. Sage wraps his arms around me and pulls me close to him.

"I love you so much, Rayne."

"I love you too..."

Fallon

I came home from the pack meeting to a hysterical Adrian. His sobs making it hard for him to speak. He grabs Flynn from my arms and holds him close to his chest. Flynn, who senses his fathers' strong emotions, starts to cry as well.

"Adrian...Breathe baby. Come on, calm down so you can tell me what's wrong. Where's Sage?"

At the mention of Sage's name, Adrian breaks down even more. His knees buckle and his legs give out from under him. I catch him just in time to stop him and Flynn from getting hurt.

"They... they t-took them!"

"What? Who took who?"

"Men dressed in all b-black. Th-they came and took S-Sage and Raynie!"

Alpha Zaryn, Caden and Luna Eden who all rushed over to check Adrian, stop in their tracks as they hear what Adrian says.

"They c-covered their tracks. I tried to go after them b-but their scent was blocked. I-I'm so s-sorry Alpha Zaryn. I couldn't save them!"

Luna Eden sobs, his hand pressed firmly onto his mouth as he turns to his mate for comfort. Alpha Zaryn wraps his arms around Luna Eden to comfort his mate but from the look on his face, he feels just as bad as Luna Eden did.

Caden's face is pale, his fists clenched at his sides. His grey eyes harden as he glares at his feet.

"My brother... we must have been wrong about him. He is most likely carrying out his father's plan."

"T-they were supposed to take me instead of Sage. He sacrificed himself so I would be safe. I'm so sorry, Caden. I tried to help but Sage wouldn't let me!"

Adrian sobs as he crawls to Caden after depositing Flynn into my arms. He wraps his arms around Caden's legs and cries. Caden picks Adrian up and comforts him, rubbing Adrian's back.

"Your brother was probably trying to take Adrian and Rayne to get revenge on Caden and Sage. Caden, because he killed his father to save Rayne. And Sage must've done something to upset him while he was being controlled by his father," Alpha Zaryn says.

"We need to find them fast. The last thing we want is for anything bad to happen to them. I will send out a hunting party and we will track them down. We can't rest until we find them," Caden says, storming to the training barracks, most likely to stock up on harmful weapons and tracking tools.

The hunting party set out minutes later, so Th high hopes of catching onto a trail that would lead them straight to Sage and Rayne.

Little did we know that we wouldn't find them for another three months...