Clara’s POV
I rose from bed early in the morning and went straight to the bathroom to shower. It has been seven months, and I am in my last trimester already. Time passed, and now we are just waiting for my baby to join us in the outside world.
Many things happened in the past few months. My brother Vincent and the pack members continuously pursued Alpha Louis, but it was all in vain. They didn’t bother us these past few months. That is why Erik is getting restless as time goes by. We couldn’t think of any reasons why the enemies became quiet.
Tia also announced that she was pregnant three months ago, and we all celebrated in the pack house while Ellie was still detained in her room. Erik didn’t visit her ever since she got imprisoned, and I also never went and visited her for once.
I wiped my hair and my body. It was hard for me to move since my stomach was big now. Erik assigned one more warrior to me since he wanted to ensure I was safe. The wall currently getting built around the country is proceeding without any problems with the materials used in the construction.
After ensuring that my whole body was dry, I wore my robe and went to our walk-in closet to change.
Erik became busier since all the plans regarding the reconstruction of the country were being done. The prison that was made where Alpha Kyle is located is already finished, and he is now observing every little detail regarding the prisoners so he can send them to Alpha Manuel to train them as warriors. I was glad Erik, who despises rogues more than anything, agreed to my idea. I don’t blame him since we are leaders, and we cannot decide or act using personal reasons. It will be the only chance that we can give for the rogues to go back to the right pack.
I am now looking at myself in the mirror, and when I saw that I looked okay, I left the room and headed straight to Erik’s office. I was very thankful for Erik, and ever since I got pregnant, he never missed a day where he would cook my meals and join me for every dinner.
I knocked and entered the office. I saw Erik standing from his seat and a country map on his table while Vincent and Ian were standing in front of him. They all looked at me, Erik smiled, and the other two bowed.
“Your highness”
“Hi,” I said softly, replying to their greeting.
“Hello beautiful,” Erik said while I was walking towards him. I smiled and kissed him on his cheek when I was near him.
“So, what are you talking about?” I said while caressing my huge stomach. Erik also caressed my stomach and smiled at me.
“Usual stuff, babe,” He said. Usual, huh? So it’s still about Alpha Louis. It’s been months, but they don’t know where he could be hiding.
“I see,” I said, started walking towards the sofa, and sat down.
“Well, finish your meeting. I’m hungry,” I said and giggled. Erik smiled and continued talking with Vincent and Ian.
They have been trying to find information about Alpha Louis. My brother Vincent gathered some trusted forces to trace Alpha Louis but failed. Now they are checking every ground in the country to check if there is some underground entrance but seeing that they are having a meeting, it seems that they still haven’t found a single clue even though they can’t find some information about Alpha Louis, Erik still hasn’t given up. He may seem fine and calm in front of me, but I know he is getting desperate when my due date is approaching.
I’ve tried asking my wolf Angeline and was hoping the moon goddess would give some clues, but she didn’t respond. Tia also tried to roam around the country and look for a sign of Merlin’s spells, but it was clean. They’ve been quiet since Erik announced that Alpha Louis is a traitor. When the Luna of Alpha Louis was dragged here, she confidently said that man was not her mate. That is why Erik gave a chance to Joseph, Alpha Louis’s beta.
“Try checking this area,” Erik said.
I focused my attention on their meeting until they were finished. My brother Vincent and Ian left, and I stood from my seat on the sofa and walked towards Erik.
“Let’s eat,” I said, inviting him. He smiled and stood.
“Yeah, Let’s go. What do you want to eat?” He asked.
I thought about what I should eat and smiled when I thought about pineapples. When I tasted the spaghetti with pineapples, I hadn’t stopped eating pineapples. There wasn’t a day that passed when I didn’t eat pineapples. In every meal that I ate, pineapples were always my side dish.
“Anything, as long as you don’t forget about my pineapples,” I said, craving pineapples again.
“I see. Let’s check what ingredients are available,” Erik said while laughing. We walked towards the kitchen, holding each other hands.
When we both arrived, Erik walked directly to the kitchen and checked our refrigerator for something to cook. I sat quietly at the dining table, waiting patiently on my food. While watching Erik cook, I thought about Ellie. I really should visit her now. After our breakfast, I will go and talk to her. I can’t avoid her any longer, and she must feel lonely for being imprisoned for many months.
After a few minutes, Erik finished cooking and served me the food with pineapples on the side. I happily gobbled my food. “What are your plans for today, my love?” I asked, wiping my mouth.
“I will be doing rounds on the territory and to the packs near us,” Erik replied. He was eating the last bite of his meal.
“You take care, okay?” I said with a concerned face. He smiled and leaned to me for a kiss.
“I will, my queen. How about you? What are your plans?” He asked.
“I will just roam around the pack house and hang out with the girls,” I said. I decided not to tell him that I would be visiting his mother and having a talk with her. I don’t want to make things awkward and weird between us.
“I see. Do you want me to walk you there to Tia?” He asked, and I shook my head. “I’m okay, and the doctor advised me to have a walk every day, so I won’t have any problems when I give birth. So, I will walk around the house before going to the pack house,” I replied with a smile.
“Don’t push yourself too hard, okay?” Erik said while fixing the dishes. “I won’t, don’t worry,” I said, smiled at him, and walked him to the entrance of the pack house. Erik kissed me goodbye, and I made my way to where Ellie was being imprisoned. When I arrived at the room of Ellie, I sighed and opened the door.
I entered the room and saw her sitting in a chair beside her window and looking outside while thinking deeply. “Hi,” I greeted her, and she looked at me with tired eyes. She grew thin in the months that I hadn’t seen her. She smiled softly, “Hello, what brings you here?” She asked. I sat in the chair in front of her.
“Nothing, just want to see how you are holding up,” I said.
“I’m okay,” she said, and I unconsciously bit my lip.
“I’m sorry for not paying a visit for months,” I said, looking down.
“You don’t have to say sorry. I should be the one who should be saying sorry to you,” She said while reaching for my hand on the table and squeezing it tightly.
“I’m sorry,” She added, and she spoke softly. I nodded and also squeezed her hand.
“How are you?” I asked. “I’m okay, it’s just boring here, but I’m getting by,” She said, looking back at the window.
“How about you? How are you?” She asked. “I’m fine. I feel nervous whenever I think I will be giving birth and that I am going to be a mother,” I said nervously, smiling at her awkwardly.
“You will be a great mom,” She said. “How is he?” Ellie asked.
“He is doing great, but he is stressed about Alpha Louis. They still haven’t found any traces of him,” I informed him.
“I never really imagined that he would betray us,” She said, and I listened carefully to her words.
“Nicole visited once she was called upon here. She said her mate Alpha Louis was long gone, and that man was not her mate. I was confused about why she would say that, but now that I look back at our meetings, he is really strange. He was quiet and never really showed some expressions,” Ellie said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Louis never showed some expression whenever he was happy, sad, or angry. He would smile. He had difficulty showing his expressions, but in every meeting, he even laughed. Now that I am looking back at our previous encounters It was really weird. That was the first time that I heard him laugh. He even asks questions about what is happening in the pack and what he would do to help. I never thought that hard about it and think that he is just worried, so I answered his questions,” Ellie said while looking sadly at the window.
“If he has a connection in the death of my mate. Then, I will kill him,” She added and looked at me with vengeful eyes. I was taken aback by her expression, she seemed so angry, and the look in her eyes was frightening.
“Everything will be alright. I believe in Erik and our moon goddess,” I said and grabbed her hand. She smiled at me.
“How far are you?” She asked.
“We are only waiting for my water to break,” I said, caressing my huge stomach.
“It’s a boy,” She said with knowing eyes. “How can you be sure?” I asked with surprised eyes.
“I just know,” She said. “Then, Erik will be happy,” I said softly.
“What do you suggest for a name if he is a boy?” I asked.
“Ash,” She said softly.
“Ash Smith,” I said happily.
I stood from my seat and walked closer to her for a hug. “I’m happy to talk with you, but I need to go for my check-up,” I said sadly.
“It’s okay, Thank you for visiting me, and I am happy to see you, always take care, okay?” She said, and I nodded. I left the room and made my way toward the pack house. While walking, some of the pack members smiled happily at me, seeing my huge stomach. They bowed and greeted me, and I waved at them with a smile. It’s nice that everyone is excited and happy about my pregnancy.
After my check-up, I thought of going to the lake where Erik and I first met. I went there alone. I walked slowly since I could not shift. Since there is a barrier in our territory, it would be safe to go out. I arrived at the lake in a few minutes and sat there, enjoying the view. The scenery changed. The trees grew taller, the lake became clearer, and you could almost see the bottom of the lake.
Amid my sightseeing, I heard some rustling sound on my back in the bushes, and I turned to see some rogue. I calmly stood carefully and thought of a way to fight him. I was about to use my powers when multiple rogues came into view.
“What do you want, and how did you get here?” I asked with a serious voice.
They didn’t answer and walked towards me slowly.
“Erik!” I mind-linked Erik with an anxious voice.
“Yes, babe? Is there a problem?”
“Rogues,” I said.
The rogues launched at me, and I used my powers on them. Some of the rogues struggled, but the others got near me. I started backing away and tried to run, but I failed. A rogue got near me and hit me in the neck.
“I, Erik”