[Danica's POV]
A low snarl escaped my lips as I began the process of shifting. To the left, I could make out Mason fighting off three of the creatures. To my right, I could see four more preparing to attack.
'Not today.' I smirked, giving a howl.
Lunging forward, I bared my teeth at the first creature to notice me. It let out a shriek while diving towards me.
I managed to grab it by the throat just before it hit me.
Biting down, I felt the skin tear as another shriek escaped it.
'I told you to stay put!' Mason's voice boomed in my head.
Whoops, it seemed he was finished with his fight and had spotted me.
Flinging the now dead creature from my head to the ground, I turned to meet his angry gaze.
'I couldn't leave you to fight alone.' I tried, attacking another beast. 'There are too many!'
'Did you forget that you are heavily pregnant?' He demanded with a snarl.
Did I forget? Was he kidding? How could I forget all the extra weight I was carrying?
'I can handle this much.' I huffed in annoyance. 'Anyway, where is Nigel and Ash during all of this?'
As if they knew they were being talked about, the two men magically emerged from the small cabin in front of us.
I watched in confusion as Nigel lifted his hand and drew something in the air. Smirking, he shot out a ball of light at each remaining creature.
Just like that, the fight ended as quickly as it had begun and everything around us was now calm.
Looking around, I spotted Mason, who was emanating anger as he made his way towards me.
Suddenly feeling nervous, I quickly dashed behind the jeep and began to shift back to my human form.
Once I was fully changed, I opened the vehicle hatch and pulled out my comfy clothes.
"Don't think you can avoid me." Mason's deep, husky voice breathed right beside my ear.
Had I not known I was going to be fussed at for not listening, I would have been thrilled by his closeness.
"I'm not." I tried, slipping on a sweatshirt and leggings. Due to my big belly, the top nearly didn't fit. "I was just trying to get decent since Nigel and Ash were present."
"Uh huh."
Letting out a huff, Mason reached around me and grabbed a pair of jeans. Turning, I watched as he slipped them on, allowing myself to take in his muscular chest and torso.
"Enjoying the show?" He suddenly asked, drawing my gaze to his amused one.
"Shut up."
Bristling, I attempted to storm away, but due to my huge pregnant belly, I could only wobble. Behind me, I heard snickers escaping Mason as he watched my failure at being angry.
When I reached Nigel and Ash, they both rushed forward in an attempt to help me up the stairs.
"I'm pregnant, not handicapped." I snapped, shooing them away. "I can handle going up stairs."
"But..." Ash began, only to stop as Mason appeared beside me and growled.
"You heard her." He warned.
Rolling my eyes, I made my way up the stairs and onto their porch.
Even after all these years, Mason's jealousy was still the same. He barely even likes Chris to touch me during our training sessions. It was both endearing and annoying.
"Anyway, do either of you know what those creatures were?" I asked, stopping at the threshold of the cabin.
From the way the two men were acting, it seemed as though they weren't too bothered. Were the beasts a new occurrence? Or were they something the duo set up?
"Failed experiment." Nigel responded, shooting a glare towards Ash. "I thought we got rid of them all, but…" He trailed off.
"What was the experiment?" Mason asked curiously.
"Nothing." Ash responded much too quickly.
Raising my brow, I met his serious gaze and felt a chill rush down my spine. I wasn't used to this type of Ash, and I had to admit, it was intimidating.
"Stop trying to seem serious." Nigel sighed, smacking Ash in the back of the head. "This idiot was trying to develop messenger crows that could fight off the enemy."
"Why would you need something like that?" Mason asked just as I opened my mouth to do the same.
Now it was Nigel's turn to grow serious.
"There has been word of unrest in the Northern territories." He began, frowning deeply. "We aren't sure if it is anything to be too concerned about, but we've been preparing just in case."
I could feel the air around us growing cold as Nigel spoke. It was clear Mason was getting pissed because he hadn't been informed of this until now.
Ever since the war with the harpies and trolls, he had been constantly on his guard. Despite my assurances that he had people surrounding him to protect our pack, he couldn't fully calm down. He worried too much, and much more so since I became pregnant the second time.
"Why didn't you say something?" Mason asked, his voice dripping with ice. "You know, I could consider this insubordination."
"Mason," I hissed, shooting him a glare. "Nigel is your elder!"
"It's fine." Nigel said, smiling. "I called you both here today to discuss this and one other thing."
At his words, I felt my curiosity become piqued. What else would be so important to call us here directly to discuss?
"Is it something that will stress her out?" Mason asked, shooting a glare at Nigel. "I've told both of you that she needs to be calm during this period of her pregnancy."
Rolling my eyes, I tried to hold back my annoyance at Mason's being so damn concerned. He meant well, I knew that, but it was starting to get frustrating.
"I think you should remember that your luna is much stronger than you think." Ash pointed out with a smirk.
A low growl escaped Mason at Ash's words, but he didn't bother to argue. Instead, the room grew quiet as we waited for Nigel to tell us what it was he had for me.
[Danica's POV]"Come inside and have a seat first." Nigel instructed, grabbing my arm. "You shouldn't have even came."Rolling my eyes, I let Nigel lead me into their unusually messy cabin. I found myself wishing that they would stop treating me like I was fragile as I took a seat in the recliner."Why did you bring her?" Nigel asked Mason once I was situated. "Are you that ready for her to give birth?""I have a few more weeks." I huffed, trying to hide my annoyance. "All of you need to stop babying me."Three separate sets of eyes shot at me as I spoke, sending another wave of annoyance through me."Dammit," I growled. "If you keep this up, I'm going back to the packgrounds alone."
[Mason's POV]I turned my angry gaze towards Nigel and Ash. Those two were aware of Danica being close to giving birth. Why the hell did they bring up something that could cause her to feel extreme emotion?"You don't have... " I began, but stopped as Danica shook her head.Looking up, she gave a smile and shook her head, sending her long, dark curls cascading around her overly plump breasts."Thank you for this." She said, looking at Nigel and Ash. "Would it be okay if I took this home and read it?""Of course." Nigel responded. "It is yours to do with what you will. Just don't forget to let us know if you find anything about the wolves that we may be dealing with. ""Why didn't you look for yourself?
[Danica's POV]February 2nd, 1979The Day It All Began...Papa Mackie woke me up early that morning, claiming that there was someplace we were to visit.At only ten, I didn't think much of it. So, I got up and quickly dressed as the excitement of the trip rushed through me.I wasn't the only child to be picked for this trip, Sanders and Rosette were chosen to go as well.Once we were all finished getting ready, Papa Mackie loaded us into a carriage that was waiting outside the orphanage. Once inside, we began our journey.I vaguely remember the way now, but I remember going deep through the forest leading far away from the small town we lived in. We continu
[Danica's POV]Disbelief rolled through me as I blankly stared at the spot where Bryllie had just been."Danica, look out!"A gasp escaped me as Mason's warm, strong body slammed into mine, pushing me out of the way just in time to avoid having the quickly crumbling roof fall on top of me."We need to go." Mason growled, getting to his feet."But..." I whispered. "Bryllie...""We will find her." Mason insisted, yanking me to my feet. "But if we
[Danica's POV]I searched around the quickly crumbling building for the source of energy that was drawing me. I didn't know what it was or what I was looking for, but dammit, it was like a siren's call.Extending my senses, I tried to determine the direction of the energy.'That way.' I muttered, shooting past a falling piece of roof, easily dodging it before it came crashing into my back.What I was looking for was just up ahead, and if I could just reach it, I could get the hell out of this crashing building.
[Danica's POV]I woke up to find myself in a strange room with a soft glow illuminating me. I was on a large white bed with fluffy pillows and a down comforter, but my wrists were cuffed to the headboard.There were barred windows on either side of me that allowed me to see figures roaming about."Hey!" I called, hoping one was close enough to hear. "Someone! Let me go!"Despite the urge to struggle, I remained calm. I needed to consider the innocent child in my stomach. Any wrong move could be detrimental to it.
[Mason's POV]All the lights were on when I arrived at Nigel’s shack in the middle of the forest. I didn’t bother knocking as I kicked in his door, startling both him and Ash."What?" Nigel huffed, beginning to stand."I need your help, old man." I growled, storming forward."What has gotten into you?" Nigel demanded, as I grabbed the neck of his shirt. "Where have your manners gone?""How do you locate someone when you don’t know where they are?" I demanded, ignoring his question.
[Danica’s POV]"How much longer?"A day had passed since I woke up in this strange room. A day wasted being a prisoner in a place that was claimed to be my very own. I didn’t have time for this. My daughter needed me, and I was wasting time."HELLO!"I knew that being annoying probably wasn’t the best solution to getting myself free sooner, but I was running out of options. The sooner they get the damn DNA results, the better.‘And if you are their future leader?’ A small v