Lex point of view

Being pregnant brought a new challenge to the table. I wasn't allowed to shift anymore.

We didn't know how far along I was.

We didn't know when the safe cut-off date was for shifting. I had changed once or twice while being pregnant, so there had to be a day when the change wasn't safe for the baby anymore.

Now that I wasn't allowed to shift, I craved it.

It was defiance, but I had to hold on to my control. My wolf didn't want to give in to the new rules I was laying down. It wasn't fair, but it wasn't permanent.  

In the end, it would all be worth it. I just had to hold out long enough.  

I didn't know where Mason was taking me, but like a good girl, I got ready. I assumed it was for something to do with the case.  

Now that we had a baby coming, I wanted to be around our family. Everyone was going to be excited when they found out. I couldn't wait to see their faces.  

When Mason pulled into a doctor's office and parked, I felt my nervousness and excitement grow by leaps and bounds.  

"Are you sure we can be here?" I asked as I unbuckled. I didn't want this pack knowing I was pregnant because it could get back to the killers. If the rumor spread around, I could become a bigger target to them. But if Mason said it was safe, then it was safe.  

"Yeah, this is the pack doctor's office. He has one of those machines Brian does." He waved a dismissive hand at forgetting the name of the machine.  

"So we're going to see our baby today." 

Mason nodded and got out of the truck. "Yeah, we'll see it everything's okay." 

I would be on cloud nine but Mason's attitude kept me tied to the ground. I knew he was just nervous about this whole thing. I was just glad he wasn't trying to bring me down too.  

The doctor was in the front of his office, talking to one of his nurses.  

He smiled when he saw us. "Mr. and Mrs. Meyers, you're just in time. Let's take you guys back." 

Mason held my hand as we followed the doctor to one of the back rooms. I sat down on the patient bed while Mason stood between me and the door.

Overprotective as usual.  

"So what brings you two here today?" 

I couldn't help but smile. "I took a pregnancy test and it came back positive." 

Confusion and careful happiness graced in his features. "You're a werewolf, are you not?" 

I nodded. "I am." 

He took a deep breath. "Well, let's see what's going on and we'll go from there." 

I stripped off my pants then laid back. Mason wasn't happy with how close the doctor could get to me; his eyes even grew a shade or two lighter.  

But as soon as the screen lit up, our attention focused on that.  

"It looks like you definitely are pregnant." The doctor looked closer at the screen. "Eleven or twelve weeks by the look of things." 

I looked up at Mason to see that guarded expression again. I just needed to show him that this was going to work before he'd lighten up.  

"I'll print this out for you." 

While the printer buzzed and beeped, the doctor put everything else away.  

"So does it look normal?" I asked carefully. I knew that things could go wrong. I just wanted everything to be normal and healthy.

He nodded, but he was guarded too. "Everything looks just as it should." 

"But," I led, knowing there was more that he wanted to say.  

He sighed and ripped off the picture from the printer. "I've never even heard of a female getting pregnant, least of going to term. Going without the change makes your human vulnerable to your wolf as its frustration grows." 

I narrowed my eyes at him, angry that he was raining on my parade. "You don't have any idea what it's like." 

Mason wrapped his hand around my arm. "He's speaking the truth Lex. He's just concerned. Anyone who has been around wolves long enough knows what happens when a wolf loses control." 

I turned my angry eyes to him. "I'm not wrong to want to have a baby Mason!" 

He cupped my face with his hands. "I know. That's why we are trying. You don't need to snap at him. Everyone will be worried about you Lex." 

"I'm going to make it through," I said stubbornly.  

He smiled and gave me a quick kiss. "I like the positive thinking."  

That didn't mean he thought I would make it through. He doubted me, but he wasn't going to tell me that. 

"Now grab your picture, it's time to go." 

I slowly and gently took it from the doctor. I didn't want to frighten him. "I'm sorry I snapped at you." 

He smirked at me. "I've been around wolves for years. I'm used to extreme reactions." 

I opened my mouth to snap at that, but Mason clamped his hand over my mouth.  

"Thanks doc. I'm going to take her home now." 

He walked out of the room with a smile. That probably peeved me more. A mad, hormonal, pregnant werewolf woman was something that should've been feared.  

I didn't have a choice but to hold Mason's hand as we walked back out to the car.

Emerson's point of view

My head throbbed as reality came into focus.

My body was sore, but mostly healed. I sat up on the bed, feeling my muscles ache from inactivity. I got up and grabbed my phone off of the dresser. It only served as a clock now that Thomas was dead.

I didn't need to contact anyone now.

I rubbed my eyes before looking at the time.

11 AM… two days after what I remembered.

I had been in a healing sleep for much longer than I thought I would have.

Mary…

I bolted down the stairs to look for any damages from her escaping. She could've gotten out of the place with me not there to check on her.

If she escaped, she could lead my enemies to me.

I had to find her.

I shouldered the door open, not bothering to look for the key to the door. This was an emergency situation.

The stench of decay hit me first. There were two bodies down here with Mary.

The girl with the snapped neck wasn't where she had been dropped. She must've been moved by Mary when she realized I was going to come back for a while.

I saved the room with Thomas' body for last. She wouldn't have gone back into that room.

I found Mary in one of the guest rooms. The door gave resistance when I tried to open it. She was trying to keep me out of the room.

Again, I shouldered through a door. The door splintered across the middle.

Mary was lying on a twin bed in the fetal position. She was shaking, but I knew it wasn't from the cold. She was traumatized.

I smiled as I got to her. She didn't escape. Good girl…

"You've been down here for a long time."

She gave a jerky nod, but didn't look back at me.

"Get used to the smell?" I asked as I walked to her.

She shook her head and let out a sob.

It was out of character for her. She always had something to say.

The bed dipped when I sat on the edge, but still, she said nothing. She didn't even glance at me.

That's when I looked her over. Her shoulder had a big nasty bruise on it. She had rammed into something, possibly to try to escape.

Her arms were littered in bruises. Even her shins had bruises.

I put my hand on her hip. She hissed a whine and I knew that she was bruised all over her body.

I chuckled. "You tried to escape, didn't you?"

She turned onto her back, her angry eyes met mine. "You left those bodies in here with me. They're rotting in the other room!" She yelled. "I'm hungry and I'm thirsty. You left me here alone with them!"

I raised a brow at her outburst. She hesitated before turning her gaze away from me again, to rest on the bed.

"I was asleep," I muttered. "Thomas landed a few good hits."

"It's not my fault that you got your ass handed to you," she snapped again. She winced when my brow rose at her. "I-I'm sorry," she whispered, looking completely drained.

Since she hadn't eaten in over two days, her outburst would have required a lot of energy.

"I'll bring you something."

She closed her eyes and nodded. I grabbed a few bottles of water and put things for sandwiches in a bag for her.

I knew I had to get rid of the bodies today; otherwise they'd start falling apart if I tried to move them.

I threw the food in the room and started to move the heavy dresser. She wouldn't be able to move it since she was so weak.

"You eat. You can shower when I get back. I should be back before it gets dark."

She slowly sat up and started pulling things out of the bag.

She'd be fine until later.

I shimmied the dresser into the doorway and made it fit tightly in. When I was sure that she wouldn't be able to get out, I turned my attention to the bodies.

Sure enough, both of the bodies were put into one room. Mary had dragged the other girl into the room. I smiled at the mental picture of her trying to move a body that was her same weight. It would've been a sight.

I grabbed a couple of tarps from the back shed and brought them into the room with the dead bodies.

I wrapped them up and tied them tightly before putting them in the pickup. They did smell, but there was nothing I could have done about that.

I drove onto one of the older service paths. It had probably been used once as a ranger stop, but now it was probably just a stop for teenagers to test out their hormones.

After I got out of the truck, I ventured around a bit. I didn't want to run across one of the pack wolves when I was trying to dump bodies.

There was nothing around. There were no car tracks. There were no campers. There were no scents of the pack werewolves.

The clearing was pretty big, so I wouldn't have to really worry about the fire getting out of control and burning everything down. Even if a forest fire started, that would bring chaos to the pack. That would present an opportunity to take over.

I raked up the leaves, with one of the shovels in the truck, into a neat pile before going back for the bodies.

I cut open the tarps before letting the bodies drop onto the bed of leaves. It wasn't much of a ceremony. No one was going to come around and mourn for these dead bodies.

I was drenching them in lighter fluid when I heard a trespasser.

When I looked over, I laid eyes on a man. He was obviously a pack wolf. His eyes were amber and he was shaking with, what was probably, rage.

I smiled at him. "Can I help you?"

There had to be another one or two pack wolves lurking around. They didn't often go out without each other anymore.

"You killed another girl? Haven't you killed enough women?"

"No." I huffed and finished off the first bottle of lighter fluid. "Plus, this one doesn't count. That guy," I jerked my chin at Thomas, "killed her. I'm just getting rid of them."

"You should stop what you're doing. The pack's already on their way."

Another man came out and walked to his pack mate.

"You should tie him up, Jamison."

He nodded and grabbed the rope from the other man. We all knew that was just for show. Rope couldn't really hold a werewolf unless they allowed it.

Jamison, as the wolf had called him, suddenly had a change of heart. He broke his pack mate's neck in the blink of an eye. The man hadn't even seen it coming.

"You should run now. I'm going to tell them it was you."

He lifted the body off the ground and threw him on the pile of bodies.

"And you are telling me to scam, why?"

Jamison dusted off his hands before looking back at me. "I want Mason Meyers dead and I want his woman."

I nodded and walked back to the car without the tarps. If the wolves were coming, I'd have to take the long way home to make them lose the scent of the car in town.

"I can respect that."

I gave a bow before opening the door to the truck and getting in. "We'll have to get together and team up on this venture. I think you could end up being very useful."

Jamison nodded. "Tomorrow morning, we'll have breakfast at the diner in town. I'll be alone."